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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 



ONQUEST AND TRIUMPH 



OF 



DIVINE WISDOM AND LOVE 



IN 



PREDESTINATION 



BY 



JOHJf HUM<BE<RGE<R, M. A. 

PASTOR OF ST. PETER** PARISH, SHIPPENVILJ.E, CLARION CO., PA. 



MIDSUMMER, 1884. 



1 1 mi - 

COLUMBUS, OHIO: 

J. L. TRAUGER, PRINTER. 

1885. 



>5b 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by 

JOHN HUMBERGER, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 



AD MEMORIAM. 



To the Blessed Memory of our Sainted Professors 

of Theology, the two greatest Lights of 

Divinity in our Age, 

CHARLES P. KRAUTH, D.D.LLD. 

a most Revered and Profound Christian Scholar; 
AND MY INSTRUCTOR, 

WILLIAM FREDERICK LEHMAM, 

a Prodigy of Divinity, 

and Master of the English Language, 

THIS POEM IS AFFECTIONATELY OFFERED, 

by his Most Unworthy Student, 

THE AUTHOR. 



BOOK I. 

Invocation. Creation the Kesult of God's Decrees. 
The Fall. 

BOOK II. 

Man's Arraignment before the Throne of God. The 
Personified Attributes Pleading for Man's Excommunica- 
tion from Heaven and Eternal Punishment. 

BOOK III. 

The friendly Powers Plead for Man's Pardon and find 
a Ransom, on whom all Decrees of Election and Salva- 
tion are Based. 

BOOK IV. 
The New Jerusalem. 

BOOK V. 

The Church Militant, through which God Executes 
His Eternal Decrees of Predestination in Time. The 
Romish Hierarchy Overthrown ; a Nest of Abominations 
and Hypocrisies. 

BOOK VI. 

Struggles and Sufferings of the Reformation. Calvin- 
ism Appears. True Predestination a Comfort in Distress. 
Conversion Effected through External Means of Grace, the 
Word and the Sacraments, which is not Irresistable. Man 
can do nothing to Convert himself. Persevering Malicious 
Resistance the cause of Reprobation. The Grace of Elec- 
tion is no other than the Free and Universal Grace of 
the Gospel. 

BOOK VII. 

Calvinism Overthrown. Election in the Wide and 
Narrow Sense. In the Wide Sense it is the Cause of 
Faith and Salvation. The Certainty of Election is the 
Certainty of Faith. 

BOOK VIII. 

The Unfruitful Hearers of the Word the Cause why 
they are not Elected. 

Cv) 



vi ARGUMENTS. 



BOOK IX. 

Election According to the Foreknowledge of God, 
and Connected with the Means of Grace. Crypto-Calvin- 
ism in the Lutheran Church. Expelled by the Form of 
Concord. Universal Election Overthrown. Foresight Nec- 
cessary to Election, is not its Effective but Occasional 
Cause ; it is not Synergism, but may be Forced or Lead 
to it. 

BOOK X. 

America, the new Battle Ground for the Last Contro- 
versy on Predestination. The Appearance of the Enemy. 
Endeavors to Smuggle Calvinism into the Lutheran Con- 
fessions and into the Expressions and Writings of the 
Lutheran Fathers. Their Dotage and Exalted Fanaticism. 

BOOK XL 

General Astonishment and Disgust at the First Appear- 
ance of the Calvinistic Leaven. The Doctrine Opposed. 
The Opposition Feared. The Opponents Umbeset with 
Trickery. Meantime the Doctrine is Smuggled into the 
church. It brings Dissensions and Divisions in Congrega- 
tions and Synods. Its New Champion's claim to Infalli- 
tility. The Opponents Excommunicated at Large. 

BOOK XII. 

The Answer of the New Achilles to his Excommuni- 
cation. His Wrath. He Exposes their False Doctrine, 
False Accusations and Trickery. 

BOOK XIII. 

The Practical Demonstration of the Doctrine Results 
in nothing but Despair and Death. 

BOOK XIV. 
The Ode of Triumph. 



The Conquest great, the Triumph erst unfurl'd, 
Which Love divine and Wisdom gave the world, 
In man's Predestination by free grace ; 
Election to Eternal Life I trace; 
The great stupendous thought and deep designs, 
Transcending all man's beggarly confines; 
That once were framed upon God's throne above, 
Decreed and sworn by Wisdom, Grace and Love, 
And all the heav'nly Pow'rs, ere Time had sprung 
His course, or morning stars His praise had sung, 
Or angel touched His golden lyre, or earth's 
Foundations ere were laid in blazen girths, 
That fold celestial orbs ; sing Master Muse, 
That didst inspire the sacred page with news, 
With tidings, of great joy. Release the mind 
Enthralled in darkness, where the heart 's inclined. 
Give faith to trust Thy Word alone, and tune 
Thy humble instrument this song to croon, 
In bounds of what 's revealed. The causes sing, 
Of all that 's good, and how that good takes wing, 
And flies along the course of God's decrees, 
Which firmly stand like pillars in the seas, 
On solid rock, and crowned with light to shine 
Amid the darkness, in the soul's confine, 
To light a path throughout the gloom of all 
This weary pilgrimage. They ne'er can fall. 
The gates of hell cannot prevail in storms 
Against them. Bounds they set infernal forms, 
To evil, saying : " Here shall thy proud waves 
Be stayed." Thus God His name alone engraves, 
On all that 's good, and goodness His reward, 
In whom the creature finds a faithful guard. 

Then praise Him for His goodness, first decreed, 
And executed in creation's deed, 
Thou Master of all Muses ; teach the song 
To write, creation's music to prolong, 



2 BOOK I. 

To distant hills and vales and sunny vines, 
From lands of tow'ring derricks and of pines; 
Where nature's harmonies are gushing wild ; 
There waft thy native transports undefiled : 

" Great First Cause ! from whence creation 

sprung, 
The universe; full well Thy praise was sung, 
Amid the sphere's, when infant nature, free 
From swaddling clothes did wanton in a sea, 
In one eternal Summer sea, to grow 
In beauty, basking in its sunny glow, 
And Thy sweet favor. Then the world's sweet lay 
Was happy, merry as the month of May. 
'Twas then the day first dawned with rosy light, 
From out the east, and chased away the night. 
And as it first streamed in upon the world, 
In raptures of delight creation* whirled ; 
It danced in jubilee's transporting song, 
As bursts of heav'nly music swelled the throng. 
The cherubim and seraphim all fly 
Adown the avenues of light on high. 
The soft green fields of Eden, velvet sleek, 
And face of God in man, the}^ smiling seek. 
They beat their harps of gold and shout for joy; 
In sweet Jerusalem their songs employ. 
hills of bliss! homes not made with hands 
Eternal in the heavens! Happy bands! 
Seraphic spirits in Elysium ! 
Blaze all ye tow'rs of New Jerusalem ! 
All crowned and decked with fiery wings of bright 
And heav'nly spirits, clothed in robes of white! 
Hail happy day ! Let all take up the theme, 
Lift up their voice and sing the loud acclaim: 
'Glory to God!' The" earth is full of song; 
Heav'ns burdened, bend as t' echoing notes prolong. 
The birds on every spray carol their lays 
Of love to their Almighty Maker's praise. 
Flow'rs bloom like gems of beauty, robed in hues, 
Beyond earth's glitt'ring thrones and pageant views. 
And dews of morn, with fragrance pregnant, waft 
Their odors forth ; the honeyed sweets you quafft, 



BOOK I. 6 

And kiss the laden breeze. The purling rills 
Did laugh, the brooks did sing from tow'ring hills, 
That crown'd all, worshiping ; past which they slink 
Through ev'ry lake, by ev'ry streamlet's brink; 
With ocean's wave to join that vast sublime, 
The rolling flood, beneath that upper clime; 
Where the proud heavens spritely stoop to kiss, 
And starlit seas leap up for joy and bliss, 
To crown the heighth, the depth, and all the world 
Profound; and thus creation's praise unfurled." 

The echoing song went forth from hight to hight, 
Ringing its changes on the Morn of light. 

Say when, Thou Muse of heav'n, that uidest forth 
The singers twelve, to go from South to North, 
From East to West, to tell and sing the song 
Of Moses and the Lamb; happy throng! 
When ceased that perfect note and native lay 
Throughout all nature's works, and chid the day, 
Till it threw off its charms, and blushed the work 
Of heav'ns High King to own; in darkness lurk? 
Since He is good and merciful, from whom 
Goodness alone can come; the soul's sweet home. 
Truth's Recorder undefiled, what cause 
Has plunged the world in darkness' thickest jaws? 
0, tell us whence this life of sin and guilt, 
Despair and woe, on which our hopes are built? 
Why best intentions of the human breast 
Into disaster fall, and are not blest? 
The heart is wracked and tossed in fiendish sport 
By mad-wild winds, that know no safe, sweet port, 
Nor rest or peace within this vale of tears, 
Where all is striving, toiling through the years ; 
Yet minds distracted, hearts desponding, souls 
Forever lost, enslaved in fate's dark doles; ' 
The body cast away upon these shores 
Of time, to rot mid fool's superfluous stores, 
And there, a prey to rav'nous beast of lust, 
Devouring worms and reptiles of the dust? 

" Twas Satan, Adversary first of God 
And angels; chief and prince in heav'n he trod; 
In domains of Almighty Pow'r and light, 
Fast by the throne, he held his stately right. 



BOOK I. 



Now he, contriving to usurp begins, 

Filch pow'rs and principalities of kings. 

Amid the heav'nly potentates he frowns. 

With proud and envious heart upon their crowns! 

With craft he seeks Omnipotence, invents, 

Contriving, ruminating his intents. 

With pow'rful genius, judgment, knowledge, list, 

In pride assays Almighty Pow'r t' resist. 

Disposing all his wicked pow'rs around 

In solid ranks; then gives the battle sound. 

With unconstrained ambition, envious pride, 

His brow knit fast, he wields his scepter wide. 

Disdainful now his captains he installs, 

Commands to charge against the King. He calls! 

From utmost bounds of His dominion run 

The wicked foe ; in serried ranks begun ; 

They dash against the throne, from which they fell, 

Careering downward to the pit of hell. 

And thus Thy first estate didst abdicate, 
Thou prince of angels fall'n ! Archfiend of hate! 
Thou cherished this, whereas Thou once didst love, 
For Thou wast made a font of joy above, 
A source of peace, a vessel fu*ll of bliss, 
All which Thou didst o'erthrow, and now dost miss; 
By that same pow'r with which Thou heldst it fast; 
Enforced to neither; thus Thy die didst cast. 
Thy own free will Thou didst abuse. Charge not 
This gift to Him as sin, or wicked plot." 

Then Satan thus replied: "Aha, He knew 
This when He made me ; had this all in view. 
He made me to rebel ; and hence 'tis fair, 
He only has Himself the blame to bear. 
He saw fulwell my sins with open eyes; 
To this, creates me there above the skies, 
That I should sin, that He might cast me down 
To endless pain, and at my torment frown. 
'Tis His disgrace and shame. He willed it thus, 
Himself 's the cause of all this fire and fuss." 

" Stop Satan ! " Thus the Muse upbraids the fiend : 
Stop, essence of all meanness overweened! 
Hiss not at me! Glibtongue! my wrath to taunt, 
Thou monster of the muddy deep! A vaunt! 



BOOK I. 5 

Make haste to leave these regions of the skies, 

Thou author and embodiment of lies! 

Thou liest ! Thou 'bod'st not steadfast in the truth; 

A liar thou art, and vill'n with bloody tooth. 

I say thou liest; for the clay that looked 

On thy creation, saw thee stand well booked; 

And chronicles of time shall witness be, 

That all was good, and thou thyself wast free; 

Hadst no taint. For thus it was decreed, 

O'er thee and o'er thy own malignant seed : 

Though He foresaw the angel's fall through pride, 

And fall of man, which He did not decide; 

Resolved decrees demanded Him to do 

The good alone; create the good and true; 

Such glorious beings who should worship Him 

With free-will service, vie with seraphim; 

To know what's right and wrong, withpow'rtochoose 

The one or other, or this pow'r to loose. 

Thou didst not keep it. Thus endowed with will 

Intelligent and free, wast happy still; 

In highest office of created things, 

Whose work the Master's highest honor brings. 

Such noble creatures of the heav'nly sphere, 

As beings quite responsible appear; 

Require the possiblity to sin, 

Joined with permission freely to begin. 

Most certainly, pure reason e'er will say, 

These are the brightest of the heav'nly day. 

They chant His praises through creation's sphere; 

Are far the noblest work of God, most dear. 

As precious crown and climax of His work, 

Thou freely turn'st these duties all to shirk. 

True, God knows all things absolutely well; 

He knows Himself, as angel tongues can tell. 

But all things good among created things, 

Result from the decrees His Goodness brings. 

Xot these, but wicked things are the defects 

You creatures brought about, by your vile^sects; 

By pow'r you had from God to keep you pure, 

As chief of all created good endure; 

Continue by this pow'r to live replete 

With praises it doth yield so near His seat. 



6 BOOK I. 

In kindness Great Jehovah did create 
This possibility to sin,. this state; 
And yet forbade th creature's thought to sin. 
In spite of this, rebellion you begin. 
All perfect stood on basis of this grant. 
Your reason 's vile, and hypocritic cant. 
Within eternal ages yet to be, 
God knows all future things, and acts doth see. 
The only source from whence this knowledge flows, 
Depends on what will be, which foresight knows, 
And so, whatever is or what will be, 
Foreknowledge knows, and constitutes the key. 
Yet mere cognition 'tis, and pow'r doth lack 
To bend God's will, or force Him to take back, 
What He foresees. But Goodness 'tis that bends 
The will of Gocl, and all His works attends. 
Although He knew thy sin, He yet, in spite 
Of this created those that fell from light, 
To darkness vile. Thus Goodness is the norm 
That moved Him to create and to perform ; 
For He is good, and Goodness His defense ; 
Although He knows the universe immense: 
Both good and bad; the bad comes not from Him, 
Because He saw what you'd abuse and nim ; 
Conditions He created, such as fill 
Requirements of the freedom of the will. 

Satan, there's no excuse, thou didst disgrace 
In thee this greatest gift of God, — His face. 
And still, in hell this is thy chief delight, 
From whence on ebon clouds thou tak'st thy flight, 
In murd'rous haste to Paradise, and there, 
In serpent form thou coil'st within thy lair, 
Of cooling shades, close by a murm'ring brook. 
With roses fringed, and lillies in a nook, 
Where birds did warble forth melodious songs, 
To spit thy venom from thy f#rked tongues : 
T' enslave the fair, and spoil the face of God 
In man; to blot out his free-will and rob, 
This image of God's glory, which thou lost 
Past all redemption ; lost at thy own cost, 
As by volition free thou tak'st to rule 
In hell, rather than serve at His footstool." 



Thus Satan, he, self-banished from all good, 
Became the cause of evil. 'Tis his food. . 
On this he lives and triumphs o'er the world 
With spirits like himself, from heav'n once hurl'd. 
In outer darkness, penal fire and chains, 
Despair and death, with woe he entertains. 
He wields dominion o'er the world and hell, 
In galling bonds he drags them down pell-mell. 
With jaws of death they tear their living prey, 
They feast like roaring lions 'mid their fray. 
'Tis thus he seeks his captives to devour, 
Rejoicing in their torments ev'ry hour. 

heav'n, is there deliv'rance none, no nook, 
To flee for refuge from this galling yoke ? 
No pow'r to heal the wounds that eat to kill, 
And damn the soul 'neath fires eternal still? 

"Know this, thou hast deserved no better fate, 
By sin to love the tempter, God to hate. 
From God the good thou freely turn'st thy face, 
To love unrighteousness, and live disgrace. 
Yet, hearken to my voice. Before the throne 
Of Great Jehovah thou must stand alone, 
Arraigned to answer for thy sins. man; 
At awful distance bow and fear the ban. 
Possess thy heart with humble, god-like fear ; 
With rev'rence see the heav'nly pow'rs appear." 

He spoke. I stood in presence of the crowns, 
The throned dominions and celestial frowns. 
There circling glories flashed their living light, 
From sardine stone and sapphire dazzling bright. 
The rainbow glowed like em'rald all around, 
O'erarched the four and twenty elders crowned; 
That sat all clothed hi raiment white, and gold 
And jeweled brows, whence sounds so fearful rolled; 
And rumbling thunders issued forth, where blazed 
The seven lamps of God, and sea all glazed, 

(7) 



8 BOOK II. 

Like shining crystal. Brighter far than sun 

At noon the beatific vision spun. 

A maze of whirling thoughts confused the brain, 

And dazed the eye with blinding tears like rain. 

I fain would grasp the spots that darkling hung 

On mortal sight, and all my senses stung. 

Thus left in total darkness, rapt in gloom 

And solemn thought, I stood in God's great home. 

And there, in presence of the heav'nly Pow'rs 

O'ercanopied by the angelic bow'rs, 

And all beatitudes ; I sailed in thought 

More swift than lightning through t' ethereal vault. 

I mused on the Eternity of God, 

Where sin can never come or mortals trod ; 

His Majesty, and in my airy flight 

Encircled all His rolling spheres of light. 

I trod the pathless solitudes, the deeps 

Of flow'ry vales, or climbed the mountain steeps ; 

I roamed the verdant hills and trackless space 

Illimitable, buoyed with tow'ring grace; 

Until my thoughts were ravished regions high 

Above the mountain tops, then stooped to fly ; 

Reposing calmly on the lightning's flash, 

Where rolling thunder's fiery billows splash. 

Yet no escape the burdened spirit saw ; 

That awful presence rapt me all in awe. 

It filled the universe; at every bound, 

There loomed the darkness of that vast profound. 

In wonderment thus left all unconfined, 
While pond'rous thoughts disturbed the toiling 

mind ; 
I heard the rustling of a Seraph's wing. 
Approaching, nigh He came from heaven's High 

King; 
And brings the pow'r of living sight, that sight, 
By which the eye beholds immortal light; 
That I might see the Pow'rs of heav'n contend 
About the fate of man ; his ills attend. 
He raised His hand and touched my eyes 
With beams of light, and vision of great size. 
I looked, and saw the canopy ablaze, 
Where thousands of ten thousand angels gaze 



BOOK II. 9 

Now flashing crowns and robes of light appear. 
Behold, I see the heav'nly pow'rs draw near ! 
They beam upon the throne with burning rays 
Of glory, and defend His righteous ways. 
They justify His character divine 
Against the sinner; and all Pow'rs combine. 

Life first submits His plea before the throne ; 
With grave serenity His count'nance shone. 
He said : "Where Death sets up his tyrant sway, 
There Life is vanquished, spoiled of His array. 
I must deny the sinner's right to live 
In heav'n, and unto Death his life I give, 
To whom he sold it, eating of that fruit 
Forbidden; hence my plea: dismiss this suit. 
Where's man's authority for Life to sue? 
The gates of Life he's freely broken through ? 
He 's chosen sin, and in transgression Death, 
There let him lay and breathe his cursed breath. 
I fly from Death that I may live in bliss, 
Lest fangs of Death me tear, where serpents hiss. 
Should I be caught as subject to his pow'r, 
No songs shall ever gladden yonder bow'r; 
My voice shall then no more be heard above, 
In sweet Jerusalem, the home I love. 
No happy fields with fragrant flow'rs be found, 
No river flow with Life, nor joys abound; 
But Death would reign supremely here in heav'n! 
Eternal Pow'rs! shall we to Death be giv'n? 
I plea that we forthwith this suit dismiss. 
I'll never deign his putrid lips to kiss, 
In welcome to these regions, bless'd abodes; 
To brotherhood's eternal cov'nant codes." 

Benign and gentle Peace in robes of down 
And ermine, wearing on His brow a crown 
Of brilliants, next arose ; stood near the throne 
And said: "My name is Peace. To all I'm known. 
I rest in quiet stillness in the heart 
Of Great Jehovah, free from ev'ry smart. 
But now the tug of war has entered there, 
Life's calm serenity it did not spare, 
Disturbing my repose. For man who fell 
To dire rebellion with the hosts of hell; 



10 BOOK II. 

Arrayed him 'gainst tranquility and rest 

That sweetly dwelt in Peace's lovely breast. 

And hence, I irrevocably demand 

His absolute expulsion from this land 

Of my delights. Or else the cruel lash 

Of war will scourge these regions with its crash 

Of thundering battalions, and a train 

Of fiery demons, foisting in their reign 

Infernal." 

Then admid the heav'nly host, 
The Law stood forth and thus began to boast : 
"No leav'n unclean shall soil my robes. I'm pure; 
All my demands are steadfast and most sure. 
My statues are eternal ; and my due 
Is full obedience, honor bright and true. 
But foul dishonor you have raised ; my voice 
Thou hast despised, and sin's, alas, thy choice. 
And it has filled thy heart with evil lust, 
Concupiscence; so now thy heart's unjust; 
From youth up it imagines evil things, 
And in my face its vile transgressions flings. 
Ye throned compeers ! The Law is but a dream, 
Without a punishment to enforce its claim. 
Inflict no pain, no punishment is there; 
The vilest piece of mock'ry 'tis, I swear. 
Shall man escape in peace, impunity, 
Reduce God's government to mutiny? 
Shall vile contempt, abuse, which man begins, 
Thus harden ev'ry rebel in his sins? 
Hence I demand the death the Law requires, 
Without a grain of mercy bope inspires." 

Next Knowledge, tow'ring forth arose and spoke: 
" I knew the wrath of God man would provoke. 
From all eternity I saw results 
'Gainst God's decrees, where Satan now exults. 
The will of God decreed the good alone, 
But sin results from spite against God's throne. 
For God's decrees embrace the good, with room 
For opposition. Pride, here writes its doom. 
This opportunity I saw employed, 
How soon some creatures thus would be destroyed. 



BOOK II. 11 

Yet opposition never was decreed, 

Nor was its dire results, or evil deed. 

All this I did foresee, and made it known 

Unto you all. These are the pow'rs I own. 

I have no pow'r myself t' assist the good, 

Or to prevent the evil if I wou'd ; 

Although I hate the evil I foresaw, 

And much desire obedience to the Law. 

Hence I can plead, set bounds to evil pow'rs, 

Or else they'll shrivel all our cherished flow'rs." 

Majestic Truth with gravit}^ arose, 
Confirmed the Law's appeal with this depose : 
"The soul that sins shall die, and feel the curse, 
They had it better, let them take the worse. 
For ev'ry one that 'bides not in what 's writ, 
By all things in the Law, the curse is fit. 
Offend one point, you guilty are of all. 
The wicked shall be turned to hell that fall. 
For surely thou shalt die within the day 
Thou eat r st thereof; 'tis thus the Scriptures say. 
These sayings came from Truth who cannot lie, 
Hence Truth is pledged to see the sinner die ; 
Lest man grow bold in sin and turn his ire 
To mischief, anarchy in God's empire. " 

Then Justice, grave and tall, with piercing eyes 
That glowed like fiery darts in ebon skies; 
His tongue was scorching and His words like fire ; 
He rose to make His plea all hot with ire : 
"My name may grit upon the ear, and sound 
Discordant, and with terror doth abound, 
For all the guilty. Yet, what 's just is right. 
The least departure thence, is sinful quite. 
'Tis wrong; and hence I plead for that that 's just. 
The rebel man I will no longer trust. 
He sinned with open eyes and knew full well 
The penalty. Prepare his doom, hell ! 
Take life and blood. For guilt must stain the dome 
Of heav'n, till Vengeance thrusts the traitor home." 

Then Holiness addressed the Judge of heav'n 
And earth : " My name can't bear the least of leav'n ; 



12 BOOK II. 

Can't bear the sinner, here in God's empire; 
He's full of wounds, and sores and base desire. 
From head to foot unsound, defiled, impure, 
He's so depraved in sin, in flesh secure. 
Since we can't walk together, or agree, 
Or holiness, or man unclean, must flee; 
Must quit these regions." 

Vengeance then arose, 
And o'er the stage the lofty Monarch goes. 
His eyes were geared-lightning, their flash the train 
That drives the thunderbolt through hurricane. 
He looked upon the sinner in his woe, 
Then rushed in wild deliriums to and fro. 
With great contempt and fiercest wrath He burned, 
The sinner from the throne indignant spurned. 
With faces vailed the angels kneeling crouched, 
Their robes upon the ground in sadness slouched. 
When Vengeance, filled with indignation, spoke, 
The thunders volleyed and the lightnings broke. 
I trembled, as they crashed around the world, 
Like aspen leaves in raging storms unfurled. 
All hell's vile furies quailed before His ire ; 
The earth did rock uneasy at His fire: 
"My name is Vengeance ; sprung a child of awe, 
From Justice, Holiness, from Truth and Law. 
Hence punishment, retribution, send fire 
Upon the sinner, is my work, my tire. 
Vengeance is mine, I will repay ! I'll burn 
To lowest hell, and toss that tier}' churn. 
In my hot anger I will tread them down, 
And trample them in fury as I frown. 
I'll crush their hearts, make fly their blood, and dash 
And sprinkle, smear my garments as I splash ; 
Fill up the wine-press of His fierceness, stain 
My raiment, there I'll tread and smash the slain. 
I'll come in rage upon a path of fire, 
With chariots like a whirlwind in desire; 
And laugh at their calamity that sinned, 
Nor shall I spare the leprous brood that grinned. 
I'll mock them in their misery, the kings 
Of earth, great men, rich men, destroy all things; 



BOOK II. 13 

Chief captains, mighty men, and ev'ry man 
Both bond and free, shall not escape my ban. 
Although they hide themselves in crowding flocks 
In mountains, crying loud to hills and rocks: 
' Fall on us, hide us from the face of Him 
That sitteth on the throne, and from His vim. 
The Lord's great day of judgment comes apace, 
And who shall be able to stand in grace ? 
His rod is raised to strike in hottest ire. 
And madly hurl us in His lake of fire/ 

I'll still consume their worm that never dies 
With fire unquenched ! I will not hear their cries. 
They'll cry with a loud voice mine ear to rend; 
I will not hear. I'll not in mercy bend ; 
I will not send relief. I will not spare 
Them in my fury. Let them suffer there. 
I'll not have pity. Dogs in hell's dark cave 
Do lick their paws, and like the tigers rave ; 
They are enraged and panting for their prey, 
Like wolves they bite each other in the fray. 
T' infernal pit of hell opes wide its mouth, 
The old and scaly Serpent 's parched with drouth, 
He gapes his thin and thirsty jaws to drink 
His blood and tear his flesh on yonder brink. 
Now sink to bottomless perdition ; hell 
Prepare to feast and loud thy triumphs swell." 

Then Life and Peace cried out: "Let wrath 

rebound ! 

Wrath, brimstone, fire, why cumb'reth he the 

ground ? " 

Here Justice cried : " My bow of wrath shall wing 

The fatal arrow ready on the string ; 

And hie it onward to its destined mart, 

To drink his blood and revel in his heart. 

I whet my glitt'ring sword that thirsts for blood, 

To hue the rebel to a crimson flood. 

Set on ! Strike ! " 

Then these Powers all cried loud : 
"Omnipotence! rain down Thy fiery cloud! 



14 BOOK II. 

And lick him up; fire and everlasting death ! 
Let him not live to draw another breath ! 
On ! On ! Omnipotence ! Strike at his head ! 
Let not the traitor live, on treason fed ! 
And let him die the death, and bleed his blood, 
And stretch him out upon the fiery flood! 
In torments evermore his pain bemoan, 
Amid hell's furies! On! Omnipotence! On!" 



1EZ> 



Behold, now smoke and darkness filled the 

throne. 
Throughout the temple, fiery flashes shone. 
Their voices thundered, as they waved on high 
Their brandished swords, and at the sinner fly. 
They thirst for blood, while hell in hope grew proud 
For prey, and yelled and laughed profanely loud. 
The sun was turned to darkness. The black sky, 
Convulsed with anger, made its daggers fly. 
The tow'ring mountain tops were torn piece-meal, 
And ground to atoms in tornado's wheel. 
The solid earth was split upon its base, 
Its pillars crumbled in the world's disgrace. 
Around it spread the white-hot caldron's sheet, 
Its elements to melt with fervent heat. 
The angels, hov'ring round the blasted bourn 
Of a lost world, fold hands and pray for morn. 
They trembled as they prayed with awe and fear, 
To see the dreadful doom of man so near ; 
The great Avenger now had almost hurl'd 
The rebel down to hell and burnt the world. 
As once they weeping saw their brethren cast 
From out the bliss of heav'n, to tortures vast. 
In awe the}^ see Omnipotence appear, 
Enrobed in awful Majesty and fear; 
Equipped in panopty divine, begins 
To execute the rebel for his sins. 
Throughout t' ethereal vault the lightnings dart, 
And aim their fiery shafts to hit the heart. 
Loud thunders rolled before Him. Sinai racked, 
The Lord's stronghold and mighty bulwarks cracked. 
Hail stones and coals of fire from thickest cloud 
And pole of either heav'n thundered loud. 
A sharp two-edged sword thus wields His right, 
An iron rod His left, with skill and might; 

(15) 



16 BOOK III. 

To dash His foes to pieces with His hand, 
And crush them like a potter's work of sand. 
He stands, one foot on earth and one on sea, 
And lifts His hand to heav'n to strike at me. 
With awful Majesty His face did shine, 
His voice the rumbling thunders did confine. 
As in a cloud of puzzling thoughts He stood, 
Whether to strike the blow that vengeance wou'd, 
Or spare the traitor. Thus at length He spoke, 
As yet He spared upraised the dreadful stroke : 

" My name's Omnipotence. I can destroy 
And make alive. Thy sins my pow'r annoy, 
When nothing was, the worlds I did create; 
And still preserve them all and laugh at fate. 
Yet I possess no will or choice my own. 
And yield my full obedience to the throne. 
First then, let all contending parts agree, 
My service thus, to all your hearts shall be. 
The case at present calls on me to smite. 
Yet, if the pleas, o'erthrown by greater light, 
And these withdrawn, the last results you've found 
In your agreements, show me where to wound. 
The works are therefore right which I perform, 
Because I'm ruled by all perfections norm ; 
When these perfections in the Deity, 
In concert join and blessed harmony. 

Then Wisdom, purple robed, thus gave his plea: 
" Why should the King make haste with His decree? 
In this there is no waste of time to wait; 
To weigh our thoughts and balance things of state. 
We estimate t' importance of one soul 
'Bove all the world contains from pole to pole. 
And yet the pending case affects them all, 
The whole of human kind, both great and small. 
I, Wisdom, with the soul of Prudence dwell ; 
Lead Knowledge by the crown ; all things can tell, 
And find out Wit's inventions. I object, 
To see the crim'nal led thus basely wrecked, 
In haste to execution, Satan's shrines ; 
Let Law, Truth, Justice have their own confines. 
But let us wait and see, if there is no friend 
Of man at court, who will his case defend ; 



BOOK III. 17 

Who is wise, good and powerful enough 
To help him ; so that Law be not too rough, 
And Truth and Justice satisfied." 

Then Love 
Advanced and stood before the throne above. 
His heart, in all His winning charms He held, 
With human kindness all His bosom swelled. 
His beaming eyes awoke the slumb'ring fires 
Of hope forlorn, and strengthened my desires. 
He spoke. No angel ever spoke so well, 
No seraph's tongue a sweeter note can swell: 

li My name is Love. No lords in heav'n can claim 
A higher rank, or virtue in a name; 
For God is Love. This name it will be seen, 
Among the ruling Pow'rs denotes the Queen. 
My plea must then be heard before the rest, 
Or else what they have cursed, can ne'er be blest. 
'Tis true, my Love to man of yore endures, 
From everlasting, and the pow'r secures, 
That neither death nor life, nor angel throng, 
Nor principalities or creature strong, 
Nor heighth nor depth, nor pow'r, or present things, 
Or things to come, nor pain, bliss, nothing brings 
The pow'r to separate my Love from man, 
From rebels, hurled in haste beneath the ban, 
With all their kindred. Grant this one request, 
And let the sinner live our ransomed guest. 
Else Love, unto eternal mourning fall, 
And all the heav'ns for man in sorrow pall." 

Grace also came to plead Avith ancient lore : 
" Rewards bestowed on works, is Grace no more. 
'Tis debt. But favors giv'n without a claim 
Upon the donor, this just fits my name. 
When guilt is added, and the subject hates 
The donor, Grace forgives and reinstates. 
This favor thus bestowed 's so wondrous great, 
We call it Grace indeed. This is my state. 
My name shall through the ages here make known, 
And render good for evil from God's throne. 
I make my plea therefore in this : Let man 
Be pardoned, and delivered from the ban, 
2 



18 BOOK III. 

His sins all blotted out, and cast behind 
The back of God and banished from His mind 
And sunk into the depths of ocean's wave, 
And man himself be raised to place more grave, 
And higher far than e'er he was before 
He sinned. For this I shall the throne implore. 
Do this, else Grace must be an empty sound, 
And no benev'lenee in Jehovah found."' 

Mercy, agreed with Love and Grace came forth 
To plead for man : " I cannot claim such worth, 
Or rank among the Pow'rs of God as Truth, 
Or Justice, Goodness, Wisdom, Pow'r, forsooth, 
I am myself a child of Love, whose deeds 
Displayed to those in want, oppressed in needs, 
We call Mercy. My name 's in heav'n above, 
And far above the heav'ns, as God is Love. 
I'm rich in Mercy, gracious, kind and good ; 
I plead the sinner's live and brotherhood." 

In contemplation o'er the weighty pleas, 
The Pow'rs revolved them o'er, all hearts to please. 
Profound and awful silence filled the throne ; 
After the solemn pause, arose alone, 
The Ancient Monarch, Sov'reign Judge of all 
And spoke :' " The arguments and pleas are tall : 
Majestically great, strongly confirmed 
And well supported 'gainst man, traitor termed ; 
Now criminal at the bar, as well of Law, 
Truth, Justice, all these stand without a flaw. 
Love, Grace and Mercy, have discovered sweets 
Abundant, both of goodness and sweet-meats 
Of ev'ry kind, good will and loving smiles; 
But have not balanced Law in all its files, 
Shown how it is- upheld, the Truth sustained, 
And Justice satisfied by pleas you've gained. 
Entire forgiveness for the traitor man 
You plea; but you must show some way, some plan, 
How this can be accomplished and yet please 
The heav'nly Pow'rs. Hence search; look to your keys. 
Else man without a grain of Mercy dies, 
And banished from these regions of the skies. 
Then solve the problem and your efforts crown 
With good success, and yours the great renown, 



BOOK III. 19 

Among the angels or the heav'nly host, 

Create or uncreate, the honor boast. 

The sinner lost shall then be found, and rest 

Forever in the regions of the blest. 

If not, his sin demands his death ; he dies, 

In torments numberless eternal lies.'' 

Now silence reigned in heav'n. The Monarch 

ceased. 
At length, from dreadful stillness soon released; 
With great concern the friendly Pow'rs once more 
Revolved in thought and searched in heav'nly lore, 
To find the wond'rous plan. Angels that stood, 
Elect of God and crowned, confirmed in good, 
Who ne'er can fall, could tell how heav'nly Love 
The inn'cent creature could confirm above 
In holy innocence ; but could conceive 
No thought, idea, plan, that would relieve, 
Or pardon guilty rebels. Then again, 
That eye did pierce, and scorche that tongue of bane. 
Approached the sinner Justice, filled with wrath, 
Burst forth in words that dashed along His path, 
Like melting furnace bolts, and cried : " Strike, smite, 
Strike, strike the rebel dead with all thy might! 
Remove reproach from heav'ns high throne." 

Up rose 
Omnip'tence, like a lion from repose; 
Terrific in His wrath He stood, and bare 
He made His thund'ring arm, high raised in air 
His brandished sword and waved His iron rod ; 
The Pow'rs of heav'n all trembled. as He trod. 
He comes in haste to strike the rebel down ; 
Who helpless crouched beneath His dreadful frown. 
Then Love cried out while all the rest did stare : 
"I can't endure the sight! heav'ns, forbear! " 
The Law replied : " The soul that sins shall die. 
Let curses burn and crackling caldrons fry. 
For cursed is he that 'bides not by the Law, 
In all things writ therein, by hair, or straw." 
Then Grace exclaimed: " Where sin abounds, much 

more 
Shall Grace abound with all my heav'nly lore." 



20 BOOK III. 

Then Truth replied : " Thou shalt most surely die, 
The day thou eat'st thereof. I cannot lie." 
The blow was falling. Mercy now came forth, 
With all her loving smiles and words were worth. 
And interceding stood beneath the stroke, 
And plead the Pow'rs this judgment to revoke, 
Declaring : " Mercy aye rejoiceth 'gainst 
Judgment. Behold, Thy cov'nant, Thou that 

reign'st! " 
Then Justice keenly urged His stern command : 
" Defend the right, Omnip'tence ! Show Thy hand 
And strike ! I say, strike ! strike the rebel dead ! 
And o'er his carcass let the lightnings tread ! " 

Dismay now seized celestial minds, and all 
The angels drooped their wings, their faces fall 
Upon their breasts, and all the harps of gold 
Played mournful odes throughout the heav'nly fold. 
The flaming sword had blazed so near his face, 
The iron rod was falling down apace 
And blazed with vengeful fire about his head; 
The sinner almost numbered with the dead. 

When lo, a voice like distant peals was heard, 
A loud and startling sound, that death deferred. 
Louder and yet more loud it roared and rung, 
Like mighty thunders roll, it crashed and swung, 
Until the arch of heav'n reeled to and fro, 
Echoing loud like swelling thunders go. 
'Twas Wisdom's voice. He called aloud : " Stop ! 

Quit ! 
Deliver him from going down to t' pit, 
For I have found a ransom!" 

Then appeared 
One like unto the Son of God revered. 
With golden girdle round His paps engirt. 
The long and flowing robes, His name assert. 
Him holy angels worshiped as their Lord, 
And all seraphic fires of heav'n adored. 
Jehovah e'en did own Him for His Son, 
On His right hand, before the world begun. 
He saw man guilty, gone, forever lost. 
Amazing grace, He loved him, terror tossed! 



BOOK III. 21 

With pity filled, His face was streamed with tears, 
And blood had mingled there eternal years. 
All hark ! He speaks : " From everlasting hail ! 
Of old was I set up, the sinner's bail. 
With men and sons of men are 1113^ delights. 
My task is, heav'ns and earth to set to rights. 
And lo, to do Thy will, God, I come, 
To reinstate a rebel now in doom." 

The Law in awful righteousness replied: 
" Can my demands on man be thus denied ? 
I'm holy, just and good, and verily, 
The rebel's crimes deserve my penalty." 

The Son declared : " 'Tis true indeed. But still 
Observe ; I'm come the Law but to fulfill ; 
Not to destroy it. Not a jot shall fall 
Or perish. Earth and heav'ns to witness call! 
They'll pass away, but not a tittle past 
From all the Law, till all's fulfilled at last." 

The Truth then spoke in haste : " My lips 

have said, 
That never erred, what we have often read ; 
That, into hell the wicked shall be turned. 
And my veracity 's in heav'n discerned. 
Now, pledged to see this word fulfilled, I am, 
Else truthfulness is but a solemn sham." 

"And verily," the Son replied, " my blood 
Shall wash him clean, in an atoning flood. 
From all his sins I'll purify his soul, 
If he'll repent and stay in my control. 
I have no pleasure in his death, I swear; 

may he turn from death's deceitful snare." 

Then Holiness grew sad, thus to complain : 
"In heav'n with sinners, I cannot remain. 

1 am so pure, that nothing that's unclean, 
Or that maketh a lie, or that is mean, 
Can ever enter there." 

The Son responds : 
" For all his sins and crimes I give my bonds. 
My blood doth cleanse from ev'ry stain and blot, 
Before the throne he'll stand without a spot. 
No wrinkle there shall ever dim his brow, 
When he before Jehovah's seat shall bow." 



22 BOOK III. 

Now Justice, cold and stern and hardest won, 
Cried out : " Strike ! " " Not the sinner," cried the 

Son, 
" But strike the Surety." Justice brow did low'r, 
He plead : "Can heav'n admit vicarious pow'r? 
Make one to suffer punishment and pay 
Another's debts? The just for unjust slay?" 

The Son replied : " 'Tis done, what man to man 
Will not, should not admit ; the glorious plan, 
Which will astonish all the hosts of light, 
And those on earth enthralled in darkest night. 
For they shall profit by the old decree 
That man in Satan's thralldom, must be free. 
In fulness of the time I must be born 
Of woman, made under the Law forlorn, 
And yield a full obedience unto it, 
And thus the Law's demands on man acquit; 
The penalty for sinners and their clan 
In excommunication's wretched ban, 
Expelled from out the bliss of heav'nly ports, 
For which Justice contends in all His courts, 
I then shall suffer, thoroughly remove, 
Which God will sure accept, Justice approve, 
And angel's adore. I shall die; surprise 
The powWs of death, and bear away the prize 
Of victory o'er it. I shall descend 
To hell, and preach till Gospel triumphs rend 
The ebon vault of darkness, rise again 
From death, for forty days will prove this plain, 
W T ith wond'rous words and deeds before the world; 
Ascend to heav'n where glory is unfurl'd, 
All enemies beneath my feet I'll tread, 
The day of days will come, that day of dread ; 
That awful day for which all days were made, 
When in their quiet beds, the dead once laid 
In peaceful rest, shall then be raised to life, 
And they that live on earth for judgment rife, 
Shall all be changed ; and thus before the throne 
Of judgment to be judged each stand alone, 
For all their sins. Those goats among the sheep, 
Unclean and vile, among the saints they sleep, 



BOOK III. 23 

And love darkness much more than light because 
Their deeds are evil, sunk to vile applause, 
Who wantoned with atoning blood, opposed 
His Spirit, to whose grace their heart foreclosed, 
And flung God's Word away in hateful scorn, 
Will banished be the kingdom, all forlorn, 
And cast in outer darkness, and like straw 
And stubble be consumed, and they shall gnaw 
Their galling bonds forever. Those who die 
Believing shall ascend above the sky, 
In beams of light, and walk the golden streets 
Of new Jerusalem, that home of sweets; 
My loved disciples there shall e'er enjoy 
My own right hand, and crowns without alloy, 
With fullest joy and pleasure evermore, 
To drink the bliss that seraph hands shall pour. 
Hence, this the plan, by which I undertake 
Deliverance for the captive; peace to make, 
An everlasting peace, and reconcile 
The things in heav'n and things on earth mean- 
while." 

Law, Truth and Justice cried with voices strong: 
"That's all we want, just so what's right 's not 

wrong." 

And now the heav'ns with hallelujahs thrilled, 
With notes of glee by flaming seraphs trilled. 
Love, Grace and Mercy cried with shouts of joy: 
"Thou didst not come the creature to destroy, 
That man might live. The blessed theme admire, 
The minds' delight, and all our hearts' desire, 
The pleasure of our souls." 

Wisdom the plan 
Resolved: " 'Tis finished! 0! deliver man, 
Deliver him from going neath the ground, 
Into the pit, a Ransom has been found ! " 

The throng of gold in sorrow long withdrawn, 
In deep concern did wait this wished for dawn ; 
The dawn of this glad day. Now all the choirs 
Of heav'n did sing and sweep their golden lyres : 



24 BOOK III. 

"To God be highest glory, peace on earth, 

Good will to man ! We'll sound Thy glories forth ! 

Son of Man, Thou worthy art the wreath 

Of glory, honors, riches, pow'er, beneath, 

Above, forever and forever. Man, 

In nature little lower once began, 

With us the paths of life and bliss to tread ; 

Exalted now, to higher spheres he's led, 

To sit on thrones, being like the Son of God, 

While we on blissful plains adore the rod 

Of Love that once confirmed our peaceful state, 

Where man shall now extol Thy riches great, 

Redeeming blood, enjoy Thy Love alone, 

The boundless freeness of Thy grace and throne." 

God's court, eternal in the heav'ns, was filled 
With sparkling light, whose dazzling brightness 

thrilled" 
The heav'nly hosts with joy. From which now 

poured 
The Father's voice, who spoke unto the Word, 
The Great I Am. "As Thou hast promised this. 
To reconcile all things to heav'nly bliss, 
The things in heav'n and those on earth, that all 
The Pow'rs agreed, before my throne shall fall, 
And Truth and Mercy there in concord meet, 
And Love and Justice kiss each other's feet, 
Cause Wisdom. Life and Peace surround my throne; 
All this I know Thou wilt fulfill alone. 
In time appointed, by Thy precious blood; 
Behold, I hence, who ride upon the flood 
Will give to Thee a name, that is above 
All other names, Jesus, my gift of Love. 
The Dove shall wave Thy olive-branch of Peace 
O'er all the earth, Thy kingdom to increase. 
And ev'ry knee shall bow before Thy seat, 
And ev'ry tongue confess Thy judgment's meet; 
And all acknowledge Thee, Thou art the Lord, 
On my right hand my own great throne to ward. 
Thou shalt dominion have from sea to sea; 
O'er all the earth. Thy gath'ring triumphs see. 



BOOK III. 25 

I will divide a portion with the great 
To Thee. Thou shalt divide the spoils of state, 
With all the strong. For Thee I will provide 
The heathen for inheritance, and divide 
The utt'rmost parts of earth to Thy control, 
For Thy possession. Thee I will extol. 
And with myself, with glory there before 
The world began Thou hadst, I'll Thee adore." 



RWo 



In heav'nly raptures ravished thus, I saw 
The regal Pow'rs to God's right hand withdraw. 
They yield obeisance to the Prince of Peace, 
And their resounding echoes loud increase. 
Then louder than ten thousand thunders shock; 
They made the universal spheres to rock, 
In transports 'mid a bill'way sea-white foam 
Of queenly splendor, lapt in a starry dome. 
A burst of hallelujahs from the Pow'rs 
Of heav'n went forth, and shook the massive tow'rs; 
While the eternal city did resound 
To praise His name through heaven's remotest 

bound. 
The temple of the new Jerusalem, 
Whose King, crowned with harmonious diadem, 
The Key-note of all music, source of song 
And singing, wafts the perfect notes along, 
On myriad multitudes of heav'nly strings, 
Till all the universe with music rings; 
More loud than proud Niagara's fearful roar, 
Or ocean's tempest beats its rocky shore. 
Its far reverberations planets roll, 
And things inanimate endows with soul. 
And yet can float in breath so soft and creep, 
It whispers to the dying spirit — sleep. 
It softly creeps and fading steals, like dreams 
Of half- forgotten childhood mem'ries seems. 
At length in stillness, dying out of sound, 
In loads of liquid odors floats around. 
These tiny breezes seek their sweet repose 
Within the lily's breast or heart of rose, 
That grow upon the islands of the blest, 
Whose boundless sweetness far transcends the best, 
Of all perfumes the dews of morn have shed 
On Eden's flow'rs, ere all her glories fled. 

(26) 



BOOK IV. 27 

With ravishment, enlarged with boundless 

pow'rs, 
Buoyed up on eminence of highest tow'rs, 
That crown the loftiest temple's dome and perch, 
I grasped at once within my tireless search, 
The vision of all time, and there beheld 
The lordly Adam as the prince of eld, 
While lovely Eve did frolic o'er the lawn 
Or ope red lips to drink the dews of dawn.' 
Saw both in sweet caresses yoke their arms, 
Then Eve from Adam stray through Satan's charms. 
To evil tempted, now I saw them driv'n 
From Eden, where sin the earth had riv'n, 
And cursed the ground that smoked and burned 

with wrath 
Before them ! saw the angel guard the path, 
That led into the lovely-sweet, lone bower's 
Of Eden's long-lost home and god-like pow'rs. 
Saw infinitely clear the smallest grain 
And atom in the universal main. 
For all created things my mind would scan, 
In my enraptured vision all things span ; 
All distances reach, draw them near, imbue 
All matter with transparency to view. 
The past unlocked its graves, and coming time 
Unlocked its womb. I saw the world rise grim 
Against its Maker; saw the flood o'erflow 
The earth and all the wicked melt like snow, 
Before the Lord. Saw earth rise forth again, 
Heard waters roar through dale and mountain glen. 
I saw the tow'r of Babel rear and bore 
Through azure skies its proud defiant door, 
To reach the stars ; then crumble down and stove 
Mankind asunder babbling as they strove. 
Saw Nineveh and Babylon unfurl'd, 
In oriental splendor o'er the world. 
Their dazzling glories glittered to the gaze 
Of wanton multitudes entranced with praise. 
The stars did kindle up their hidden fires 
And plucked up day-light from their golden spires. 
They rose to fall, into their beds to creep, 
On banks of proud Euphrates' stream to sleep. 



28 BOOK IV. 

There sigh their willows still for Judah's girls 
Who learned to weep where yonder river twirls 
Still onward to the sea, as when of yore 
Victorious Darius filled its tide with gore. 
I saw old Thebes a building, ancient Troy 
And sweet Jerusalem, our life and joy. 
I saw old Greece and Rome their empires raise, 
With all the huge proportions of their blaze ; 
Their cities, spread like met'ors on the sky, 
And then, 'mid their triumphal pageants die. 
I looked about the fane on which I stood, 
And saw the homes of all the blest and good ; 
Spread out beneath, on high, and quite around 
The golden city to its utmost bound; 
Jerusalem the lovely, all ablaze 
With tow'rs of brilliants set in golden stays. 
Their beams would blind the sight of mortal eye; 
To me, all was transparent as the sky ; 
The streets, the walls, the tow'rs, which did not raise 
Obstruction 'gainst the passage or the ways 
Of bright and glitt'ring trains of seraphs sweet 
And lovely cherubs, or the saints that meet 
Within that city of eternal day; 
For there no shadows pass upon the way. 
No night or sleep, no heat of welt'ring sun, 
No cold or storm their bounding coursers run. 
No seasons, days, weeks, months or rolling years ; 
No seed or harvest time, or gloomy fears ; 
But one eternal round of pleasures sweet, 
Those blessed spirits here forever greet. 
A self-productive, inexhaust'ble shore, 
Where everlasting joy 's laid up in store. 
Grove nods to grove with gold and purple fruits, 
With vines in clusters loaded to the roots. 
Delicious fragrance here the air perfumes, 
Consummate bliss its royal grace assumes. 
Here spouting fountains laugh at fountains still, 
Where little cherubs sport and bathe at will. 
Down to the waters edge the slopes among, 
The rills of milk and hone}' flow along. 
Here see the river flow with life ; serene 
And living waters, like a lovely queen, 



BOOK IV. 29 

With graceful flow moves down its bed of gold 
Through new Jerusalem with ships untold. 
All noble vessels, built from hull to mast 
And stem to stern with living angels fast. 
With angels piled on angels vessels rise, 
Till fleets flow onward ladened with their prize 
Of precious saints, all steered by valiant guides, 
Archangels to the helm, pursue the tides, 
Through rich luxuriant groves and shady bow'rs, 
Along voluptuous banks that swell with flow'rs. 

Now there I see, steered up the living flood; 
Some old familiar face, or kindred blood ; 
A riding there on yonder tow'ring ship, 
Whose angels fold their hands with steadfast grip, 
And circle 'round till smaller grows their own, 
Built one on t' other upward to the crown, 
While each successive circle turn their wings 
Without. All stand erect like tow'ring kings. 
Now close along the flow'ry shores they glide, 
And saints with eager hands across the tide, 
Pluck off the blooming sprays and weave them 

plumes, 
Until the vessel like a flower blooms. 
And yet the banks their blooming sprays retained, 
Though plucked, in all their blooming grace re- 
mained. 
That one descends, and bears his bloomy spray 
Amid the saints of heav'n in bright array. 
A sister once, or is it brother, say ? 
Or father then ? And dost thou still delay ? 
Perchance a mother's voice I did admire, 
A singing there in yon celestial choir? 
The just made perfect waved his bloomy spray 
And friendly smiled and said : " This is the way ; 
Still further on, where yonder river glides 
Through velvet lawns, and yonder chariot slides 
Along those tow'rs that rise above that sheen 
Of tufted trees and weeping willows green, 
My vessel waits/' 

But now, as we approach, 
Tell this : Who rides in yonder gliding coach ? 



30 BOOK IV. 

Once sister, brother, father, mother dear? 
" No. They are these no more. None such are here. 
For all the blessed dead that leave earth's shores 
Are one in Jesus here, whom heav'n adores." 

blessed news ! Beyond compare ! They're here ! 
All here ! We lose them not that die in fear, 
Believing. But, pray tell, that we be sure ; 
Who'll die in faith and to the end endure? 

"The Book of Life contains the person's names, 
To open it, but one the pow'r reclaims. 
'Tis He who wrote them there and blots them out, 
Walk they in faith, or go some other route. 
No creature knows until the acr's complete, 
If he shall win, or suffer in defeat. 
That you're elect, you simply must believe, 
And trust His promise, who will not deceive. 
'Tis not the certainty that reason gives; 
The Christian walks by faith, by faith he lives. 
This knowledge grows in certainty in time, 
Ne'er absolute, until you reach this clime, 
Where all perfections reign, election's goal, 
The home and habitation of the soul. 
For what you know, 'tis true, you know as well 
As mortal tongue or sweeter strains can tell. 
So here you know, that Wisdom made the plan, 
On which God built, to save us from the ban, 
All His decrees, and made them center here, 
Outside which, there are no decrees to fear. 
This plan was e'er the chief essential part, 
Embraced in His election from the start." 

Then o'er the bright enameled lawn he hies, 
Down where the river fringed with lilies lies. 
Where amaranth and milk-white roses blow, 
That neither toil nor spin, yet brilliant grow. 
No royal garments e'er were known so fair, 
No regal throne on earth e'er dressed so rare. 
Here daffodils in bloom and harebells hide, 
And nod in sport to kiss the dancing tide ; 
Whose flow'ry banks swell out embroidered fine, 
With hyacinths, whose tossing tresses shine, 



BOOK IV. 31 

Where bright translucent waves reflect the strand, 
And mingle hues of rlow'rs with glitt'ring sand, 
Of agate, azure, em'rald, ruby red, 
Refulgent from its golden-pa veil bed, 
Sweet breathes the balmy air where cassia buds 
Are blooming, nard and tuberrose and shrubs; 
Where gorgeous loveliness enthroned doth rise, 
Where no carnations fade or fragrance dies. 

To yonder blooming vessel now he turns. 
All burnished like a throne the vessel burns. 
Instinct with life it plows the am'rous tide, 
Where love-sick winds its flow'rs kissed and siglrd, 
Enamored of their sweetness ; and the gale, 
Plucked off the kisses, poured them through the vale, 
Where weeping willows form luxuriant bow'rs, 
From which the pine and palm shoot up like tow'rs, 
'Neath which angelic converse sweet abounds; 
And melting songs that swell their tuneful rounds, 
Through broacl'ning gall'ries where the saints repose, 
Where heav'nly music's soothing charm arose. 
He sails upon that river, where the song 
Of singing birds are heard and angel throng; 
Whose waters lave the shores of blessed isles, 
That rest embosomed in its golden smiles. 
And now he joins that choir and sings the song 
The multitudes of heav'nly hosts prolong. 
From ev'ry nation, kindred, people, tongue, 
Before the throne of God and Lamb they sung. 
The hosts innumerable sing their psalms, 
And clothed in white, they all are bearing palms. 
They cry aloud : " Salvation to our God 
And to the Lamb, who sits with iron rod, 
Upon the throne. Worthy art Thou the book 
. To take and break its seals. To Thee we look. 
For Thou wast slain, us to redeem from sin, 
By blood of Thine, to God, our souls to win. 
As kings and priests." 

The angels caught the strain 
And sent it echoing o'er that lovely main : 



32 BOOK IV. 

" The Lamb is worthy that was slain, the pow'r, 
And riches, wisdom, strength, and honor pure, 
And glory, blessing to receive." 

And all 
In heav'n, on earth, in sea, aloud did call : 
" To Him, the Lamb, that sits upon the throne, 
All blessing, honor, glory, pow'r we own." 

And those arrayed in robes of white are they, 
Come out of tribulations great ; sin's way. 
And they have washed their robes and made them 

white 
In Jesus' blood, the Lamb who gives them light, 
And hence in glitt'ring sheen arrayed they stand, 
And serve Him day and night with worship grand, 
And praise Him in His temple, who shall dwell 
Always among them, all their fears to quell. 
They shall not hunger more, nor sun, nor heat, 
Oppress them more, in this most hallowed seat. 
For here the Lamb amidst the throne shall keep 
And feed them, like a shepherd guards his sheep. 
He'll let them lie in pastures green that grow 
On yonder hills, whence living fountains flow ; 
Or lead them by still waters through that vale, 
Where floods of fragrant odors there exhale. 
'Tis here that God will wipe away all tears, 
And His elect triumphant guard from fears. 

And these are they who once did live on earth, 
Were children of the world with sinful birth. 
Elect they were, as Christ the Son was slain, 
Ere earth's foundations lay, He groaned in pain. 
God knew them then, and by His fixed resolves, 
Made them His children His decree involves. 
For His decrees are based on Christ, and fixed 
In faith on His dear name, with mercy mixed. 
And are not absolute, for then why claim, 
The Gospel should be preached in Jesus' name ? 
Believe unto the end and thou shalt wear 
A crown of life, the Gospel doth declare. 
But by the other rule it matters not, 
A Christian true, or unbelieving sot. 



BOOK IV. 33 

The Christian lost; the unbeliever gained, 
Then heav'n not Christ, but infidels has rained. 

Then turn, decrees fulfilled within the church, 
The true predestination there to search. 
The church of Christ we'll seek, and bide that high 
And lofty 'wonder world above the sky. 
Since now the seraph Muse with rustling wing 
Directs our flight where other muses sing. 



M Wo 



"Disciples go," said Christ, "go forth like sheep 
Among the wolves, and thus my harvests reap." 
'Twas thus Christ built His church amid His foes, 
Who bring on it innumerable woes. 
To root it out, the blood must freely flow, 
And fires consume and conflagrations glow; 
The cross, the prison, stake and guillotine, 
And instruments of cruel torture seen. 
Until they surfeit in the blood of saints, 
Theheart being overcharged grows sick and faints. 
'Twas thus the hate of Cain and Esau raged 
Against the chbsen seed, yet un assuaged. 
It fired the hearts of Joseph's brethren wild, 
With murd'rous thoughts against the promised child. 
In envy now they sold him far from home, 
In cold Egyptian bondage there to roam. 
Their cruelty proud Pharaoh repays, 
He makes them slaves, their children now he slays. 
For forty years they wander through the waste 
And howling wilderness, begun in haste. 
They were so helpless, Edom danced for prey, 
Philistia did hop, and Canaan bray; 
Exulting o'er the host which they defied, 
While clogs of Babel licked their chops and cried, 
Then Nineveh prepared to gorge and glut 
Her vengeance, full of envy, 'gan to strut; 
They tossed their heads with beauty's plumes in 

pride, 
With peacock's tails they boast their glories wide. 
And worse than all, the unbelieving Jews, 
Chief foes unto themselves, reject the news ; 
The news that bring deliv'rance, seek to kill 
The Child of Promise, crafty in their skill. 
The guilty Herod trembled on his throne, 
And feared his glory in the star that shone. 
The tyrant slaughters Rachel's infant sons. 
In madness wild the butch'ring fury runs. 
(34) 



BOOK V. 35 

Though softly breathes the calm and quiet air, 
Nor infant's cry or mother's wail is there. 
The turf that once was washed with crimson stains, 
Its laughing green with childhood sports regains. 
The merry bird sings there its liquid note, 
The waters babble in the brook afloat. 
But judgments terrible awaits that ground, 
When infant dust shall hear the trumpet's sound. 

The Pandemonian furies burn and quake, 
To bring the Child of Promise to the stake. 
The Jews are thirsting-hot His blood to shed; 
By Judas and his rabble crew He's led. 
They hunt Him down to death, and crucify 
The Lord of glory, mocking as they cry : 
" Hail King ! who smit Thee, guess, if Thou be King? 
Come tell us, where's the kingdom Thou dost bring?" 

Delivered by God's counsel which He made 
Determinate, and in foreknowledge laid. 
Predestinated ere the world began, 
Thus God in Him predestinated man. 
And hence on His predestination rests 
Election of God's children, His bequests. 
A man of sorrow a.nd acquaint with grief, 
And such the church that stands for our relief. 
Relief in death from death, in pain from pain, 
And thus o'er ev'ry foe the vict'ry gain. 

For years, long years of sorrow, Rome with death 
Pursued the infant flock with panting breath. 
Until in surfeit of their blood it grew 
Aweary: fainting at the hosts it slew. 
And then at length was Avon to praise His name, 
To cast its crown before His throne in shame 
But fickle Rome soon changed ; while Christians 

slept, 
The voice of Promise strangled where it crept. 
For Antichrist, the chief of wicked men, 
The Lion of Judah bearded in his den. 
With hell's vile heroes, Pope, who 's Satan's wife, 
In lust and pride did march upon their life. 
They crush their hearts and wade through blood 

to thrones, 
With fire and sword they waste their very bones. 



36 BOOK V. 

No one dare preach the Gospel's blessed news, 
Its voice they smothered in their filthy stews. 
When lust and crime raised up against the voice, 
The Pope did temporize and make his choice, 
In ceremonies cherished long and dear, 
He clothed his new made lords with holy fear. 
The world obeys the voice and will of Rome, 
To practice Antichrist's decrees they come. 
Wrapped up in bundles of their old traditions, 
It feeds them on its heathen superstitions ; 
Idolatry and ignorance, instead 
Of Christ the Word, the true and living bread. 

That man of sin, the Pope thus came to light, 
The son of all perdition, devil's wight. 
Opposing and exalting himself 'bove 
All that is God or worshiped, like a Jove. 
As God he sits within His temple bold, 
Pretending he is God, but Satan's hold. 
In works of Satan comes, with pow'r and signs 
And lying wonders, hatched in darkest mines, 
With all deceivableness of his square 
Unrighteousness in them that perish there. 
He leads them down to pits eternal, cause 
They will not love the truth, obey its laws, 
And thus be saved; and hence delusions strong 
God sends them, to believe a lie, do wrong ; 
That all who'll not believe the truth proclaimed, 
But pleasure in unrighteousness, be damned. 

Aloof upon his papal throne he sate, 
A human fiend, all crowned in royal state; 
His triple crown 's the emblematic tow'r 
Of stolen royalty usurped with pow'r. 
O'er kingdoms of this world he raised his chair, 
And stifled conscience 's voice with Satan's snare. 
His councils he entrapped by his decree, 
Enslaved the nations 'neath his papal see. 

His vassal kings and potentates now fawned. 
While cringing priests and bishops honor pawned. 
They servilely adored and kissed his feet, 
And bowed before the tyrant's haughty seat. 
Thrones trembled, kings and monarchs stood in awe, 
His nod was empire and his footfall law. 



BOOK v. 37 

The mouth-piece of the Lord of hosts he claimed, 
And yet the Word of Lord of hosts defamed. 
He sent forth legates, set up thrones, dethroned 
Kings, queens, till all the world in travail groaned. 
Empow'red his votaries by hook and crook, 
To root out friends of that detested Book. 
His legate ruled all councils like a sire, 
At Constance, sent a Huss into the fire. 

Behold, a pompous train of murd'rers vile, 
Cut-throats in white linen, marched forth in tile! 
With crimson cross and streamers red, with torch 
And crackling fagots. Now his flesh they scorch. 
Now burn and roast him in ferocity, 
Bloodthirstiness. all grinning brutishly. 
Depraved they strode, with papal badges girt, 
In morals quite putrescent, steeped in dirt. 

The crowd that feast on Huss his blood to drain, 
Consists in priests of swagg'ring, ign'rant brain; 
Effrontry, bluster, blist'ring words of gall, 
Intol'rant in religion, cowards all; 
Of cross-breeds, bastards, hybreds, and a row 
Of mental malformations, sluggish, slow, 
Of unin ventive, unprogressive brain, 
Of cold unpity'ng villains, ruthless, vain. 

But soon the Word came forth to life and light, 
God sent forth servants batt'ling for the right. 
Though fire and sword their wretched lives con- 
sumed, 
The more the Word its former pow'er resumed. 
The Pope and papists then were sore distrest, 
Because our Luther sang his Lord's behest. 
Now all were choked with wrath and latent fires 
Of envious pride. Impatience cracked like briers. 
They snarled and snapped and foamed, and grum- 
bling growled, 
No brute in madness thus e'er raved or howled. 

The church, o'erhung with low'ring clouds did 

wait ; 
It sat in ashes in a dreadful state. 
Still thicker grew the clouds o'er Zion's hill. 
With pent-up lightnings all their bowels fill. 



38 BOOKV. 

Around their sable corner's bursting cheek, 

The little fire-darts play at hide and seek. 

Still higher scowls the darkness bristling fire; 

Trees fall; earth breathless, waits the tempest's ier. 

A cry of lamentation in the air 

Was heard, presaging desolation there. 

But onward, upward loomed the lurid blast, 

And shoves its sulph'rous burden skyward fast. 

The thunder growled impatient of its fire, 

To hurl cloud-bussing turrets in the mire; 

And havoc in their stony cities free, 

In madness, riot there in liberty. 

Thus rumbled noises, and the temple shook, 
The panic-stricken crowd the blast o'ertook. 
Disorder reigned, in volumes rolled the smoke, 
Its way in living, seething fire it broke. 
While cloud on cloud was hurled aloft like sheaves; 
The fiery billows roll, the temple heaves; 
The crowd is tossed; destruction's flinders fly; 
And friends and foes in common ruins lie. 

As when the earth in dire convulsions torn, 
Vesuvius vomits forth in vengeful scorn, 
His fiery entrails o'er the woful land, 
Then thieves and robbers rush with murd'rous hand, 
From out their mountain caves, to take their spoils 
From suffering victims, struggling in their coils; 
The traps of villains. Cruelty is bold, 
It enters homes and villages for gold. 
Remorseless in its greed, it thirsts for blood 
And plunder, riots in the purple flood; 
Performs the will of demons hot from hell, 
In desolations track they bound and yell. 
See, spattered with the brains of infants fair 
And parent's blood, the floor, the wall and chair ; 
And there, on Moloch's fire their kindred bones 
Lie roasting side by side upon the stones. 

It is the hour of darkness! Satan's fry 
Raised up blaspheming tow'rs of vict'ry high. 
With doctrine false they prejudice the mind, 
To trust in works and leave their faith behind. 
" Where money jingles faith may dwindle. Frown, 
We'll eat and drink, for Peter wears the crown." 



BOOK V. 39 

How impudent is hell! deceiving, false! 

His vices' smile; iniquity can waltz! 

What tongue can tell his works? He laughs at sin, 

Then all the crowd with splitting sides join in. 

Enrobed in panoply divine he comes, 

With cunning smiles his face like roses blooms. 

His livery is heav'n ! His chapel fine ! 

Fast by the church he builds the cutest shrine. 

The church, whose corner stone is Christ, and based 

On prophets and apostles, here is graced. 

He often joins the outer worship grand, 

To hear the Word or at the altar stand. 

To sing and pray, all service he commends; 

Himself, the spiritual service well attends. 

To serve the Lord with half the soul he binds, 

Commends his follow'rs thus: half souls, half 

minds. 
Their course half-way to heav'n by spir'tual pow'rs 
They turn, and give to Christ just half the hours. 
Thus cunningly he makes the crowd believe, 
That he 's a gentleman, as all conceive. 
So great his knowledge is, I must confess, 
All fathers of the church have written less. 
Makes vice a virtue, truth to falsehood turns, 
And panders to the taste that hottest burns. 
Such is his bounty, full and overflown; 
Consults with Peter how to make it known. 
The souls of men, he keeps them in supplies, 
He gives his comments and the rest denies. 
He changes truth from what it was before, 
His rank digestion makes it papal lore. 
Truth, passed through him, makes transubstantia- 

tion, 
As things digested, change their appellation. 
To his advantage thus allures the soul, 
They can't serve two, and thus he gains the whole. 
Thus asking only half, he seems to show 
His charity, but drags them all below. 
He knows the sheep that feed on pastures grown 
In other fields, are fatter than his own. 
And hence he turns out hypocrites full-fledged, 
All these he owns, the Pope himself alledged. 



40 BOOK V. 

Then serve both God and Mammon he commends; 
The wily hypocrite his will attends. 
On both his shoulders bears he waters still, 
His buckets here, there, ev'rywhere to fill. 
How much to make a hypocrite, to stare 
Barefaced and whine and cry to heav'n so fair? 
In long grandil'quent pray'rs the song to sing: 
"Lord! Lord! where is that happy land you bring? 
We've prophesied and cast out devils; sure 
Thou canst not ask that we should more endure?" 
Requires demoniac pow'rs combined in all 
Their list that wrought in heav'n the angel's fall. 

Until hell's castle falls within the heart, 
And Christ o'erpow'rs and robs it of its dart, 
And all its pow'rful armor takes away, 
Wherein it trusts, divides the spoils so gay; 
Your conduct 's good, but not before. For God 
Did lead you here in ev'ry step you trod. 
The heav'nly Avay you walk by Him alone, 
'Tis not thy will or works that you have done ; 
"Tis not by borrowed pow'rs of heav'n and grace, 
The road to heav'nly glory you ran trace. 
As man, before your own conversion true, 
In all your works you nothing good can do. 
For one alone is good, beside Him, none 
Do good, not one. 'Tis Christ alone hath won. 
To Him the vict'ry be and all the praise 
For our salvation, all our years and days. 
'Tis true, conversion gives the will, subdues 
The rising pow'rs of evil thoughts and views; 
But gives no pow'r for us to man about 
At our disposal, lest we lose the route. 
The works of penitence and all deserts 
Of faith are God's ; 'tis He alone converts. 
He brings the sinner dead to faith, and gives 
New birth unto the child ; 'tis then it lives. 
It lives a child of God and does His work, 
'Neath all its life its Master's praise doth lurk. 
'Tis true, his thoughts and words and all he wou'd 
Accomplish as a child of God are good, 
But only relatively, just so far 
As they relate to God they pleasing are ; 



BOOK V. 41 

For our own person's sake that pardoned be, 
Though sinners still remain, His favor see. 

This leaven of the Pharisees subverts 
The truth of Christ, and all our souls perverts. 
wretched man that I am, who shall here 
Deliver me from this vile body-gear? 
child of God disturbed, think not 'tis strange, 
That you are called these joys of earth to change, 
All human boasting and the pride of life, 
Change worldly wealth and grandeur for the strife, 
To enter in the narrow gate and live: 
For thee, this strength and courage He will give. 
But not to thee as man in all his sin 
And wild desire, but as His child to win. 

To domineer is Antichrist's great feat ; 
Sends forth his orders from his papal seat. 
Commanding all his dupes to seek and slay, 
To kill and burn at stake, alive to flay, 
And massacre them all who hold the Word, 
Not owning him for voice of God ador'd. 
Thus Antichrist, the Pope and Satan's spouse, 
Here get their timber for to build their house. 
With their escutcheon raised on high unfurl'd, 
Combine against the truth ; enlist the world. 

But Judah's Lion now is wide awake. 
The Pope bewails his dismal beggar's sake. 
With woes innumerable now he groans, 
And stalks amid Rome's sepulchres and bones. 
He fears the Lion's tread that shakes the ground, 
Who holds the Pope and hell in thralldom bound. 

In secret hall the darkest schemes they plot, 
To stain all virtue and the truth to blot. 
There, couns'ling war'iors meet with dark designs, 
And swear alleg'ance to the Pope's confines. 
They sow the wind, the whirlwind they shall reap, 
And scattered lie within the sulph'rous deep. 



Thus slowly grind the mills of God but sure ; 
Their fire and flood no elements endure. 
They crush to finest earth and smould'ring dust, 
The proudest boast of human pride and lust. 
For proud Capern'an tow'rs must kiss the earth, 
Until these throes renew the temple's birth. 
It rises like the phenix from her nest, 
And folds immortal garments 'round the blest. 
It stands the wonder of all wonders grand, 
The miracle of time that ne'er can strand. 
Because her builder and her" Maker 's God ; 
The Lord did build the house in which they trod. 
They labor all in vain that build it here, 
Except the Lord shall keep the city dear. 
The watchman waketh but in vain, in vain 
You rise up early, sit up late in pain. 
And thus you fain may eat the bread of tears 
And sorrows, and to weep through all the years. 
For so He giveth His beloved sleep 
Where angels their untiring vigils keep. 

Once more they gathered, gathered from the main, 
They gathered from the hills and rolling plain 
That loved her — Zion. Long their harps were hung 
Upon the willows; golden strings were strung 
To mournful odes as they remembered days 
So lovely, harvest homes and heav'nly ways. 
Once they were happy, happy as the Spring 
With birds and flow'rs, when heart's old love did sing. 
That Spring that once had smiled in ether blue, 
And friends that Spring had brought, were sleeping 

too. 
The bird whose warbling note had cheered the grove, 
Had ceased sweet music in its little cove. 
The flow'rs that once had bloomed with rosy hues, 
No more shed forth their fragrance to the dews. 

(42) 



BOOK VI. 43 

Religious Avars long years enduring sped, 
And now those friends are numbered with the dead. 
All dead ! How calmly there all nature weeps, 
How softly slow the silent shadow creeps. 
The golden sun looks out through crimson seas 
Of dawn, and sheds his dazzling sheen on trees, 
Till bathed and drooped in tears like ori'nt gems, 
They rear their weeping tops and pearly stems. 
Death's finger points the way of all the world, 
The with'ring blast had singed them as it whirl'd. 
Death rings the parting knell to all our joys, 
And lures our hearts true love with earthly toys, 
That mount on wings and soar from our desires, 
To look on eyes where burned their cherished tires. 

In those old Reformation days were tried 
The souls of men. Then strong men weeping cried. 
They brooked the fire's ordeal with broken hearts, 
Where death his quiver empties of its darts. 
In Zion's walls was heard a cry of woe, 
A wail of bitterness went up, a throe 
Of anguish like despair; their cup was gall. 
And joys remaining mixed with wormwood all. 
The days of old were fled, and in their track 
Rushed havoc, toil and universal wrack. 
See friends amid the throng that seek for friends, 
While hope and fear the breast alternate rendb. 
Their welcome song was lamentation's cry, 
No shout like harvest-bursts did rend the sky. 
Along the main the people gath'ring moaned, 
The earth they trod so heavily, it groaned, 
In tears and sorrows now they eat their bread; 
They ever nearer come, with tramp, tramp, tread. 
The children of the kingdom gathered round 
The temple new, that rose on sacred ground; 
All washed and consecrated with the blood 
Of saints, the church's seed and purple flood, 
Whose river flows into the courts of God, 
Where now their slaughtered friends His glory laud. 
And yet not all that gathered there were true, 
As tares among the good grain always grew. 
For where o'er blood and spoils the demons rave, 
The rocks a refuge yield unto the brave ; 



44 BOOK VI. 

When caves disgorged, they, covered by the night, 
Then journeyed, trav'ling in the moon's pale light. 
The false there joined the fair, like thorns the rose. 
Or vipers in the bosom oft repose. 
This life on earth with all its sweetest cups, 
Has bitter draughts for ev'ry lip that sups. 
Amid the gath'ring hosts thus Absolute 
Came. forth, his poisoned arrows there to shoot. 

The Muses, gathered in the temple, raise 
Their voice to heay'n in songs and hymns of praise. 
Their words of praise harmonious strains adorn, 
And waft it forth on silent breeze of morn : 

"As hart doth pant for water brooks, so pants 
My soul for Thee, God ! Thy little plants 
Which Thou hast planted, love Thee, thirst for Thee, 
The living God ! To Thee our Rock we flee. 
Thy water-spouts were calling, deep to deep, 
And yet amidst the noise Thy children sleep. 
O'er us Thy waves and billows rolled ; our tears 
Have been our meat by day and night for years. 
When all the live-long day they said: where 'sGod? 
One thing have I desired of Thee, my rod. 
My staff; that I might dwell within Thy house 
The days of all my life, with Thee, my Spouse. 
That I might see Thy beauty, hear Thy Word, 
Where Thou Thy love to me didst once record. 
When trouble, terrors rise, in time of woe, 
In Thy pavilion hide me from the foe. 
Hide me from them that seek to do me hurt, 
Within the secret places of Thy court. 
In Thy great tabernacle hide me safe, 
My God, from the great fiend, secure this waif. 
I shall not fear when me Thou 'lit hide above, 
Around, beneath, and cover me with love; 
Where neither fears shall start, nor hinds or roes 
Of t' field shall e'er awake me from repose. 

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, 
Within the city of our God, high raised. 
In all the mountain of His holiness. 
How beautiful is Zion : her we bless. 
Let all be glad, let Zion now rejoice, 
Let Judah's daughter sing with a loud voice. 



BOOK VI. 45 

Of her great palaces and tow'rs we '11 talk, 
We '11 go round Zion, round about her walk. 
We '11 mark her bulwarks well, and sing her praise, 
Where His great honor dwells our voices raise. 
Adore His name, whose favor ever guides 
His own elect, whate'er distress betides. 
For He decreed before the world was made, 
Whate'er afflictions or temptations shade, 
Their path throughout this vale of woe and tears, 
To be close at their side and calm their fears ; 
To grant them patience, consolation sweet, 
Awaken hope from His eternal seat ; 
Ordained and fixed by what peculiar cross 
Or sore distress He'd purge away their dross ; 
And thus conform each one of His elect, 
Unto the image of His Son direct. 
And that the crosses of each one must tend 
Together for our good, whate'er impend. 
Because we 're called according to His will 
And purpose. Surely He'll this word fulfill. 
And thus His Church forever must abide, 
Resist all pow'rs of hell, whate'er betide. 
This is the side His Church is found ; here stand 
And walk securely, guided by His hand. 
You ne'er shall fall or stumble at the pow'r, 
The false Church wields in triumph ev'ry hour. 
For now she boasts and taunts with grand display, 
And with her haughty threats would us dismay. 
But now the child of God is safe, and knows 
Where his salvation great must e'er repose. 
In His almighty hand it rests secure, 
From which no one shall pluck us or allure. 
Life, death, or tribulation, or distress, 
Shall never break His love or heart digress. 
For what could we accomplish with the care 
Of our salvation and its treasures rare? 
For all our strength is weakness, and our foes 
Are strong and well equipped that us oppose. 
The great-fiend would soon pluck it from our hands, 
The world would force its loss by vile demands." 

Thus through the ages God's elect endure, 
Triumphant heroes o'er their foes secure. 



46 BOOK VI. 

Through Satan's coils and fiery pillars hold, 
Like smelting fires that purify the gold. 
They ride equipped like soldiers to the fight, 
Prom death to life in struggling for the right. 
Eternal vigilance their firm stronghold, 
Against false prophets impious and hold. 
The girdle truth, that firmly binds their loins, 
Their breasts, the plate of righteousness adorns. 
Their feet are shod, prepared with Gospel peace, 
The shield of faith defending pow'rs increase. 
They quench his fiery darts, make Satan bow. 
The helmet of salvation crowns the brow. 
The Spirit's sword, which is the Word of life, 
They wield with pray'r, triumphant in the strife. 
This armor of the Lord secures His might, 
To stand against the devil's wiles and fight ; 
To wrestle 'gainst the rulers and the pow'rs 
Of darkness in this world, built up like tow'rs; 
'Gainst principalities, and thus withstand 
All spir'tu'l wicket In ess. high-places grand. 
Thus stand, enrobed in panoply divine, 
Fresh from the armory of heav'n's great shrine. 

'Twas thus brave Luther stood, discharging blow 
On blow, till Europe rocked amidst the throe 
Of Reformation, till the Pope fell down 
From off his throne, and lost his triple crown. 
For God raised Luther up to lay him low. 
Proud Antichrist, four hundred years ago. 
He fought through thick and thin, and well he might, 
For God did aim the blow, direct the sight. 
He led him through the conflict by the Son 
Of Righteousness, by whom the vict'ry 's won. 
And safely still preserved him to the end, 
In steadfastness of faith his course to wend. 
As loving friend to friend will ever cling, 
Through good and bad report His carols sing. 

Hail! Master Muse! that brought'st from 
heav'n's high court 
Good news once more, the old and glad report! 
All pow'r to Thee be giv'n, all glory, praise, 
To Father, Spirit, Son, we humbly raise. 



BOOK VI. 47 

Thou brought'st these news to man, who blind in 

sins 
And darkness total, with his idols grins. 
He, void of knowledge spir't'al, hugs his chain, 
And seeks in prison- walls his peace to gain. 
Nor yet knows he the things that make for peace, 
For in his evil thoughts he'll never cease. 
As sparks fly upward, prone to sin he lies, 
Assays with them to mount into the skies. 
His troubled spirit to reclaim he springs, 
Like flies in paste would mount upon their wings. 
The human spirit thus oppressed and bound, 
A thrall in filthy duds he skulks aground. 
With gorgeous beauties oft adorns his mind, 
But builds mere castles of the airy kind. 
For fancy gilds these mansions of the clay 
With tinsel wealth, like dreams that fly away. 
Within this mold of clay the mind is stamped 
With only earthly forms, and left thus cramped; 
Abandoned of his God, cut off and toss'd 
Away from His communion, man is lost. 
That food can ne'er give life unto the soul, 
Wrapped up within the sphere of mental scroll. 
Here too, the heathen idol-altars raise, 
Where many slaughtered human victims blaze. 
Here see the man of nature and his gods, 
How meanly all his idol worship plods. 
The darkened mind entombed within this cell, 
But crawls the ruts of sin to death and hell. 
Beyond the sphere of worldly objects' brink, 
The mind of man can neither move nor think. 
To transitory forms of thought the Lord 
Descends, to offer us His rich reward. 
All forms of thought on creature objects based, 
Though they shall perish once and be erased, 
Are still the means He chose to grant us grace, 
To wash us from our filth and see His face. 
He clothed His thoughts and will in human words, 
And makes them chime in tune with heav'nly 

chords. 
Though human languages, man's works and fame, 
Philosophy, and greatness of his name, 



4*5 BOOK VI. 

Pride, wisdom, learning, creature things and all, 
Eites, faith and hope, the Scriptures too must fall, 
All tumble in common combustion down 
In fire and smoke, when scowls that wrathful frown. 
Yet God's essential Word, His thoughts and will, 
His soul-sown seed, His promise to fulfill, 
Clothed in these vile habiliments of earth, 
Substantial virtue and enduring worth, 
Escape unscathed the wreck of worlds and clash 
Of elements, God's mill-wheel's grinding crash. 
The letters of the Word, the sound of voice, 
The bread and wine, our dying Savior's choice, 
And water used in Baptism, all these three, 
Selected in eternity's decree, 
Were fixed the only proper means of grace, 
The only plan for all the human race, 
Through which He'd offer them His heav'nly gifts; 
All else are human subterfuges, shifts. 
Through these the Spirit makes repentant hearts, 
Converts the sinner and His love imparts. 

External proper use of means of grace, 
'Tis true, the unbeliever can embrace. 
That the external proper use can screen 
A dev'l as well as saint, is easy seen. 
To exercise this use of means of grace 
Within the sphere of human pow'r we trace. 
Man goes to church, he reads and hears the Word, 
He eats and drinks, he sings and prays abhorr'd ; 
Because from faith the work does not proceed, 
For what is not of faith is sin indeed. 
And hence it is not pleasing to the Lord, 
Who once complained of those whose lips ador'd; 
And yet their hearts and minds were far away, 
In fields of earthly vanities astray: 
"Away from me with all thy noise and songs, 
Your lifeless viols grate to tell your wrongs. 
I hate your melodies and your feast-days, 
Your sol'mn assemblies and your wicked ways." 

'Tis not all gold that glitters, we confess, 
Yet pride would always wear a golden dress. 
And where does master wolf his coat obtain ? 
This woolly coat the wolves all love to gain. 



BOOK VI. 49 

So heav'nly virtues which the law requires, 

Must serve to clothe designs of men, like squires. 

And hence, as man to man the wide world o'er 

A devil is by nature's burning sore, 

He makes such paltry pelf to current coin, 

Cementing this, a brotherhood to join. 

Fine unions! Built on hate and envious lust, 

That levels all unto its kindred dust. 

From man to man the coin will current pass, 

But there 's the devil laughing in a glass. 

The proud world-unions take the price he pays, 

'Tis his initiation fee for days, 

He passes in the universal fold 

Of brotherhood ! What dreams ! sweet dreams of gold ! 

Yet gold 's a butter-fly with colored wings; 

Its chase is hard, and death possession brings. 

These unions say : " Bring gold, we're based on gold," 

Their virtue 's golden but their hearts all cold. 

0, who '11 unfold the crimes, infernal scenes, 
And secret vice this golden virtue screens? 
'Tis true, "they steal the livery of heav'n 
T<> serve the devil in.'' This is their leav'n. 
With this they catch, are caught, and think to gain 
The Lord with their temptations vile and vain. 
infamy! No blush? But blush at last, 
When thou 'lit deceive no more, but stand aghast; 
When God in wrath shall brush away thy snare, 
Thy filthy spider's rotten web and wear. 
And when in robes of their own dirt they stand 
And cry : " Lord, Lord, where is that happy land? 
For Ave've done many wond'rous works and cast 
Out devils." Forth, the Lord will cry at last, 
" I never knew you ! Ye that work the works 
Of all iniquity, where evil lurks! 
Depart ! "' Thus vice beneath the outer form 
Of virtue doth its ugliness decharm. 
Beneath the proper use of means, we trace 
In their external form, hides this disgrace. 
Let all be warned, with characters so loose, 
Abuse of means does not destrov their use.. 



50 BOOK VI. 

Who '11 blame the Giver? For these means were 

giv'n, 
To save all men and bring them all to heav'n. 

The proper saving use is in the pow'rs 
Of God alone. His works can save, not ours. 
His works to save through outward means of grace, 
Are wrought within the heart, true faith embrace. 
Through saving faith which he begins and ends, 
We're born again ; on this true life depends. 
And here 's Christ's kingdom, in the hearts of men; 
Not of this world, its mortal reach or ken. 
Not visible to men, but in the heart, 
In outward observation has no part. 
Outside this kingdom, Christ cannot be found, 
For King and kingdom, both in one abound. 
Show me the kingdom, and I'll show the King ; 
But Christ is in you, quite a spir'tu'l thing. 
Outside this church or kingdom all are lost, 
Outsiders stay without, at their own cost. 

But why does not the outward call of grace, 
Convert them all, and in the church embrace; 
Since all alike the call of course can hear, 
And comes with equal force to all, seems queer ? 
Of those converted, why so few endure, 
Hold out till death. and make election sure? 

To law and testimony you must go, 
There search to know whether these things be so. 
And speak according to this Word alone, 
Which Word and counsel shall surround God's 

throne. 
This Word we take and point the way to life: 
The outward hearing of the Word's a strife, 
'Tween Christ and Satan. Man is drawn one way, 
And then another, knows not where to stay. 
In dire conflicting doubts and fears he roves; 
Now serves them both ; now holds them both as foes. 
He toils and sweats, and hears and prays in vain, 
He still is lost, and sin 's his only gain. 
The outward call has hurled the tempter down, 
When man believes, then Christ has won the crown, 
Until in trust to Christ he yields his heart, 
His soul, his mind ; in heav'n he has no part. 



BOOK VI. 51 

And thus the work of grace proceeds in all, 
Where wilful man does not resist the call. 
For God's decree is fixed, which He'll fulfill, 
By force to save no one against his will. 
The call of grace imparts the pow'r of choice, 
And freedom of the will, for which rejoice. 
In spir'tu'l things now free, while yet the pow'r 
T' resist remains in man as Satan's dow'r. 

Now why so many lost and few are saved, 
Because the many have the Spirit braved. 
He works the willingness t' accept the light 
In all; some cast this gift away for spite. 
They will not yield their willingness to sin 
For willingness to live, their life to win. 
The reason why not all believe is man, 
His vile resistance leaves him in the ban. 
Election comes to sinners who 're contrite, 
And places all on equal footing quite. 
Henceforth, whoever will, can freely will 
To come and drink ; life's water 's flowing still. 

Thus, as the hoary deep the brine doth shake 
From his gray locks, when rousing storms awake, 
The church puissant, roused from sleep, now shook 
Her locks invinc'ble, washed in martyr's brook ; 
As eagles mew their mighty youth, and dye 
Their pinions golden in a sunny sky, 
And kindle their undazzled eyes in blaze 
Of noon-day suns, and scale away their haze, 
Where golden-haired Day-king shakes off his beams, 
Into the font, where morning's radiance streams. 



WII» 



$ 



The rustling Muse with garments dipped in light, 
Appeared with great authority and might. 
All bright His piercing words like fiery darts 
Did leap in forked-lightnings through their hearts. 

The muses listened pensive, rapt in thought; 
To catch the theme of heav'nly lore He taught. 
As when the trembling heart with awe explores, 
Unfolding vistas through celestial doors. 

With envy filled, some gnashed their teeth and 

frowned, 
As flashed the light the temple hall around. 
Like sulky clouds shut out the sun, and scowl 
Along the heav'ns, or mutt'ring thunders growl. 
While others filled with joy began to praise 
The rustling Muse and sing their sweetest lays. 

But now, dissenting pow'rs assayed to lure 
To error's pools the stream of doctrine pure. 
Then one with brow serene and self-conceit, 
With reason false and envious pride replete, 
One Absolute, with form and head erect, 
Against the truth some flaw would find, defect, 
lie, self-sufficient and in learning proud 
Advanced, His voice discordant rung and loud : 

" God's will is absolute. His pleasure right. 
His mind infallible, and great His might. 
Whate'er He undertakes can never fail ; 
For His decrees He 's bound ; in honor bail. 
From all eternity He thus decreed : 
That some should be created unto need ; 
Be vessels of His mercy, and thus prove 
The height and depth of His eternal love; 
And some to die in wretchedness below 
Forever; evermore as fire-brands glow. 
Or else, how could His righteousness be knowm, 
Revealed, revenged from His eternal throne? 

(52) 



BOOK VII. 53 

By grace decreed alone to save the few, 
Whom He elected from the rebel crew, 
In justice He decreed the rest to spurn, 
And tramp beneath His feet, in hell to burn. 
This is His will, good pleasure He revealed, 
And hence the fate of ev'ry man is sealed. 
He calls them all to grace, that they repent. 
For those He chose, this grace is truly meant. 
'Tis irresistible to His elect, 
As sure as God is God, those He'll protect. 
Decrees He fixed in an eternal state, 
On His good-pleasure stand inviolate. 
His firm resolves must absolutely stride 
Untrammeled, and all order override. 
For they 're supreme, have no regard to all 
Your faith or unbelief. Like fate they fall. 
Thus you 're predestinated unto life, 
Or death eternal and unending strife.' 1 

While speaking, misty clouds, like chilly fog 
And dampness rose about him, like some bog 
Of putrid, rotten matter, croaking frogs 
And hissing reptiles, which exhales its fogs 
Unto the humid air amid the clang 
Of piping trumpeters and squeaking gang; 
Fit music, mixed with incense to his god; 
Where deep-mouthed mighty monsters bell'wing 

plod. 

His foggy thoughts sent dullness through their 

bones ; 
Some yawned in stupor and some hummed like 

drones. 
Like icicles, their thoughts stood still in space, 
Their minds left vacant, robbed of hope and grace. 
And downward now the soul did bate her wings, 
With pinions broke and flagging; wounded, swings; 
Her dull and droiling carcass in the fumes. 
A drudging trade and hobbling gate assumes. 

Then rose a Counselor, puissant muse, 
Of quick discernment in detecting news. 
He trode across the hall with earnest look. 
His firm and giant tread the temple shook. 



54 BOOK VII. 

He spoke : " This ground recedes ; some treach'rous 

dearth 
Or cavern pit conceals this shaky earth. 
Who comes encompassed with these clouds of mist, 
Where doubt and dullness all our hopes resist ? 
Where night's dread empire and its host of prey, 
Are girt with proud despair and flout dismay? 
The Prince of darkness with impet'ous flight, 
Veers round these regions here to proselyte ; 
With ratt'ling gewgaws varnished he belies 
His perjured rascals and the truth denies. 
And all the tim'rous birds of twilight flock, 
And flutter round his head his pride to rock ; 
Whose envious gabble doth prognosticate 
A world of sects and schisms interminate. 
Impaled by fate, whose iron bars inclose 
A diffrent god from ours, and bitter foes ; 
This vilest monster only could conceive 
The harr'wing thought our hopeful souls to grieve, 
That from our cradles some of us were made 
Hell-brands; who, with eternal serenade, 
In fiery caldron's smoky incense beat 
And batter heaven's gates, its King a treat; 
Whose chief delight are these our painful woes, 
And hence the gates shall ne'er to us disclose. 
The soul, stretched out and wound upon this rack, 
Recoils on self; its creaking tensions crack, 
And leave behind extremely poignant pangs, 
Foretastes of crushings, 'tween those jaws and fangs. 
Hence, leave him there in all his wanton pride, 
T' enjoy his music, and his incense guide.'' 

Around the vault the ech'ing plaudits soared, 
And now enraged his monsters growled and roared. 
He lives within the miry bog of doubt, 
Where clouds of night and dullness rove about. 
His foll'wers to this day delight to view 
His movements, watching still for something new. 
Afraid to tread his ground they gather near 
His iron bars with sympathetic fear. 
So Absolute in pride his mind did fix, 
And swore that black is white, and would commix; 



rook vir. 55 

'Tween falsehood, truth, no difference can be found, 
And thus alone would occupy his ground. 

Now light came soaring on his rosy wings 
And brilliant streamers in a thousand rings, 
In little rainbows wid'ning like a fan, 
He drove the gold-winged saffron dawn amain, 
And dashing now against the misty spray, 
He whips the melancholy clouds awa}', 
And plows through ev'ry guilty hole, his round 
And beaming furrows, warms the fruitful ground, 
And cheers with light and life, and sweetest arts, 
Each nook and corner of desponding hearts; 
He mounts his throne; through ev'ry sorrow's cloud 
He darts and kills it dead, where grief once bow'd. 
The light shone forth and filled the temple high. 
The muses owned their chief, and now draw nigh. 
With outstretched palms they fall on bended knee, 
And sing with one accord in perfect glee, 
Their swelling chorus thus: "0 welcome light! 
Let there be light for it is good ! Bright sight ! 
sweet salvation ! Rise, shine ! Light is come ; 
A lamp unto my feet to light me home ! 
Light up my track, thou heav'nly offspring here, 
Thou First-begotten of Thy great compeer. 
great World-Light, shine in these hearts forlorn! 
Cheer up the poor, and all oppressed that mourn ! 
The entrance of Thy Word thus makes all bright, 
That we may walk as children of the light." 

Come to this fount, where morning's radiance 

streams, 
Where gold-haired Day-king shakes His locks and 

beams, 
And drain the deepest cup of sacred lore, 
And having that, desire to know no more. 

From first to last in all creation's range, 
The ever-rolling years with all their change, 
Can furnish God with no inventions new, 
The past, the present, future treasures too, 
All, all such fancies stamped in human brow, 
Are firmly fixed in His eternal now. 
He knows no change who changes not His wit, 
Yet speaks thus of Himself, we will admit, 



56 BOOK VII. 

As if ideas, plans and thoughts passed through 

His mind in one successive order too. 

Yet mark : He's not composed of parts, or change, 

But as He were, appears to man thus strange. 

For, for man's weakness, God is pleased to choose 

These human modes of thought and words to use; 

Applies them to His Majesty and state, 

As though He were a man affectionate, 

With eyes, nose, ears, mouth, tongue, with face 

and head, 
As moved, then pacified, as being led, 
As jealous, horrified, to turn His face 
Away, be reconciled again to grace. 
He says that thus His glories He unfurl'd. 
As if He first decreed to build the world, 
To make and then to save, else how could man 
Conceive His nature or His actions span? 
Thus, man's predestination He declares 
Consists, as 't were, in parts which He prepares. 
Each part in fixed relation to the rest, 
Complete election, all the parts attest. 
The narrow sense is meant the parts to treat, 
The wide, embraces all the parts complete. 
The one partic'lar, and this gen'ral hold, 
But the particular we first unfold. 
God first decreed, we sa} 7 , though 't is not true, 
For all is first with Him and ever new ; 
But for investigation we must see 
The parts successively, that form the tree. 
We say God first decreed the human race 
Should be redeemed and reconciled by grace, 
Through Jesus' blood decreed that all should 

live, 
To all the world this offer He would give ; 
Decreed the Spirit should this grace apply. 
Redemption, through the Word He should supply, 
And seal it with the Sacraments in blood 
Of holy innocence and servitude ; 
Decreed, believers all to justify, 
To sanctif} T and then to glorify. 
These are the parts election comprehends. 
Take one away, and all election ends. 



BOOK VII. 07 

These parts unite to constitute a chain, 

Faith wreathes the links, to which they all pertain. 

The link of glory too as promised bliss, 

Like all the other links that promise this, 

A living faith enwreathes ; for faith is quite 

Pursuit, on promise built and not on sight. 

We're done with means when death our journey 

ends ; 
Hence glory comes when faith no more commends. 
But faith 's the reel on which this chain is wound, 
Connecting all the links securely bound. 
And glory's end, ineffible and sweet, 
The crowning link that mates our faith complete. 
The faith that wreathes these links about the brow, 
Our souls with sparkling jewels doth endow. 
Thus faith 's a lamp unto our feet, a link 
Connecting all the rest unto the brink, 
Where life's dim taper flickers at its close, 
Where faith 's absorbed in glory's sweet repose. 
Election by its premises and grace 
Procures and brings us faith to run the race, 
And causes, works, promotes, facilitates 
Salvation, and its parts accommodates 
On this foundation sure and firm God built 
Our hopes forheav'n, and takes away our guilt 
The gates of hell must here exhaust their pow'rs, 
And turn away their triumphs from our doors. 
And hence, complete election doth pertain, 
Alone unto God's children who shall reign, 
Where trials come not, nor the burning tears, 
Where crosses press no more through endless years. 

Be diligent in love, and seek to grow 
In strength of faith, the seeds of knowledge sow r ; 
Thus make thy calling and election sure, 
Hold to the Word and keep its promise pure. 
The certainty of faith is nothing more, 
Than certainty which your election bore. 
For as by fruits of faith you know the tree, 
In faith the fruit of your election see. 
And there's no other tree this fruit can yield, 
Except the tree within that lovely fieid, 



5S BOOK VII. 

Where grow the rose of Sharon and the vine 
Of Eschol, strung with goodly clusters fine, 
Where blooms the virgin lily of the vale; 
And trees of life their fragrance here exhale; 
Where milk and honey flow through verdant meads, 
And charming scenes, with cooling springs and 

shades, 
Through gentle homes of peacefulness and rest 
Where brethren dwell together and are blest, 
And sing their cheerful chorus ech'ing loud ; 
With songs of freedom, love and home e'erflow'd. 
Reclining oft beneath the tree of life, 
They now forget their toil and weary strife, 
O'ershadowed by those leaves of evergreen, 
That yield a balm in ev'ry nation seen. 
A balm for ev'ry wound sits on the tree 
That God has chos'n, elected thus for thee, 
That here thou should'st behold with faithful eye, 
Where thy election and salvation lie. 
In Christ's the wreath of love election binds 
That can't be broke, but firmly holds our minds. 
Election thus remains forever whole, 
Though man may change to hate his envious soul. 
The unbelief of men can not make void 
The truth of God, which men thus misemployed. 
This wilful, base resistance thus takes place 
In light "Of Gospel knowledge and of grace, 
Which overcomes orig'nal sin, of birth 
Impure, unclean, in children brought to earth. 
They can't resist, and hence the Gospel light 
Expels their darkness and their ign'rance right. 
The Gospel thus unfurled approaches all, 
And round the rattling world is heard its call. 
It enters minds with pow'r and grace to save; 
But Pharisees against the truth did rave; 
As well as Scribes, who had and knew the light; 
But now is added base resistance's might, 
And wilful enmity against the Word, 
Because they loved their sins, the truth abhorr'd. 

The Word affords occasion, doth devise 
Conditions, where resistance can arise, 



BOOK VII. 59 

Yet does not cause resistance's willful fire, 

Which man developes from his coarse desire. 

For Clod has spiced election with resolves, 

To draw by grace, His Word alone involves ; 

To drown the flesh, the world and Satan's pow'r, 

To flee for refuge in salvation's tow'r; 

To give man freedom of the will, to choose 

Eternal life, which he again can lose ; 

For self-consistency and wisdom too 

Allows no force this freedom to pursue. 

As liberty implies the pow'r t' resist, 

Or from resistance 'gainst His grace desist. 

Infallible decrees within their range 

And proper sphere, this freedom cannot change. 

And hence, election is not absolute, 
Nor pending on relations of repute; 
But brings its own conditions with it, frought 
With faith, in faith, eternal life in-wrought. 
And hence it is that it depends on faith, 
Its state, its tire; elsewhere it meets with death, 
Cannot exist but in its proper soil, 
As seeds are sown where farmers sweat and toil. 
For thus it was infallibly decreed, 
The Word that 's sown, contains election's seed. 



WMEE, 



For thus the Master of the learned tongue, 
In saddest words with heart so sorely wrung, 
Himself complained, that scarce the one in four, 
The fruits of hearing or election bore. 
Because their hearts are filled with sin, all sorts 
Of superstition, vain desires and sports. 
Their erring minds stand open night and day, 
Prepared for something strange from far away. 
The practice quite a second nature grows : 
The hardened heart with sin and vice o'erflows. 
They triumph in their shame; to church they stray, 
To hear the Word in their peculiar way ; 
To hide their folly or to boast their train ; 
They hear without their wits and nothing gain. 
To hearken to the Word, and ply their mind 
To learn, they think is worthless to mankind. 
They loathe it too, because the Word restrains 
Their carnal hearts, their stubborn will arraigns. 
So vile their thoughts, accursed they leave the place 
As they came in, and hold it in disgrace. 
Those are humane refinements, of those days 
Of modern fashions and bombastic ways. 
They hate the Word, with all their thoughts 

immersed 
In fleshly lusts, and drowned in bowls accursed. 
They laugh insane and crack their jokes in sport, 
They spew and tramp the Word into the dirt, 
Like swine beneath their feet the costly pearl; 
In pools of their own filth they roll and whirl. 
With great delight they plunge along their course, 
Jests, jokes and old wives' fables, swear and curse. 
They grin and gaze like fiends deranged and wild; 
The Word they lose, in low contempt revil'd. 

By hearing, they receive with outward ear, 
Which is in them path-trodden, hard and bare; 

(60) ■ 



BOOK VIII. 61 

The road where caravans of ev'ry lust 
And passions of the world kick up the dust. 
There earth's ambitions march in giddy stride, 
In wanton revelry and bloated pride. 
There lewd-debauching drunkenness, all puffed 
Waddles forth, with vile blasphemy full-stuffed; 
And belches forth with jeering, leering eyes, 
His pent-up curses to the fretful skies. 
The bloody monsters of infanticide 
Pursue him aft, in frantic temp'rance hide. 
They rush like dumb and driven cattle hoarse 
With bellowing, all eager in their course; 
Into the slaughter pen and pit of hell, 
Where knives are clashing and the furies yell. 
The blessed Word of life is trodden down, 
Where birds of ev'ry feather trail their gown. 
Vile stinking carrion, angels from beneath, 
In rottenness encased their filth bequeath. 
With nastiness and teeming full of worms 
And kicking maggots fat, the carrion squirms; 
He mounts his wings, and from his sable flight 
He slings contagion o'er the world like night, 
With his pestif'rous crew of carrion fowls 
Environed, croaking songs and gabbling howls. 
A dirge of death from Satan's choristers, 
Suggestions from his murky flatterers; 
In boist'rous fallacy against the truth, 
Communications like the adder's tooth. 
The scorn er sits and hurls his vile tirade, 
And all the scoffers join the fusillade: 
" Shall we believe all what the preacher says? 
What will this babbler say ? 0, he 's a craze ! " 
Enraged they grind their teeth, they thirst for blood, 
The Word is borne away upon the flood; 
In which the heart is drowned and overcharged, 
Until no thoughts remain the Word enlarged. 
All hopes of life, faith, piety and fruits 
Of godliness, their vileness thus uproots. 

Those on the rock are they with flinty hearts, 
So dull, so hard and cold in all their parts. 
The grain peeks through the soil more green and fair 
At first, than all the rest, so debonair. 



62 BOOK VIII. 

And grows so smiling sweet by early rains, 

Like weeping queens bedecked with pearly chains ; 

It boasts of nothing else but promise high, 

Of harvests mountain almost to the sky. 

As boulders rear their haughty tops in air, 

The little moisture 's soon exhausted there. 

So when the latter rains are falling fast 

On gold'ning grain with heat and with'ring blast, 

They long since shriveled Rocky's laughing cheeks. 

Now solemn, sore and sad he pines and peaks ! 

The pelting, pitiless rain, gushing pours 

His torrents down upon his head in show'rs. 

From darkling clouds the lurid brows do frown, 

From thunder's black and rumbling chariot down. 

He once did quake with joy, and gladly hear 

The promised bliss of heav'n with many a tear. 

He was the first to hear and sing the news 

And jo} r ful tidings; now his lot he rues; 

Because the law is preached, affliction's cross, 

And trials sore and sad with many a loss, 

To purge his darling sins, desires of earth 

Away, for true desires of heav'nly birth, 

In broken hearts and contrite spirits fair, 

To guide them on through faith to glory there. 

These on the rock expect in Christ to find 

Good days, sweet-dallying, time out of mind ; 

Expect to live on sugar ev'ry day, 

And honey dew, on banks of posies lay, 

Whose dew-drenched petals vernal blooms bedeck, 

And quaff their fragrance at the laughing beck. 

'Tis then with greedy ears they gladly hear, 

When words reprove their neighbors sad career. 

They love to hear the news when preached in words 

Of human wisdom by their mocking birds ; 

Their preachers cater to the public taste, 

And sweeten o'er their words with sticking paste; 

'Tis human eloquence they love to hear, 

All salted down with love and murder gear ; 

The murd'ress bold a heroine becomes, 

The murd'rer a notorious hero booms. 

And hereby hang a tale to kill the hours; 

Such truck the poor erratic moonling clures. 



BOOK VIII. 63 

The stony heart 's too proud, the Word they hear 
Rests superficially upon the ear. 
Besides, affliction's cross they can't endure, 
For then they fall away, the faith abjure ; 
The Word despise and source of life deny, 
Their Lord forsake, the church they vilify. 
For loaves and fishes, follow for the fruit, 
Then fly away for want of healthy root. 
While Summer drops its gold they sweetly sing, 
In Winter weather cold, complaints they bring. 
Their faith and courage blooms while fortune smiles 
But falls away when fortune changes styles. 
They have more faith in bread and kitchen store, 
In corn and wine$ than fruits of heav'nly lore. 
No zeal for godliness and doctrine pure, 
Where trade and fashion to the church allure. 
'Tis then they boast of zeal, of faith and love, 
Look. wise as serpents, harmless as the dove. 
The dove at length a dragon proves, the lamb 
Whitewashed with innocence, a blath'ring sham. 
Wrapped up in self, they blab, they brag and* 

blow, 
They think their virtues whiter than the snow. 
Convert the Word into a stumbling stone, 
At which they take offense and sickly groan. 
In silks and satins, paltry gewgaws dight, 
They roll in comforts soft and white samite ; 
Or lull the hours to creep along the streams 
Of pleasure-pleasing, sweet and quiet dreams ; 
Where soft-flushed cheeks and raven-ringlets charm, 
Black-browed ivory on a snow-white arm ; 
Or wreaths of auburn tresses gently droop, 
Where parting lips disclose a pearly group, 
Embalmed in breath's young fragrance, wrapt in 

sleep, 
Neath snow-white curtains of the upper deep. 
Thus rocked in joys that ravish sweet lepose, 
In self-security they snooze and doze. 
They sleep, while loud the Li'n of Judah roars, 
And all the forests fear and trembling moors. 
God's voice thunders ! The mighty hills do shake! 
The lamb doth leap and start from out the brake! 



64 BOOK VIII. 

It hears the shepherd's voice a calling, home! 
The cloud-hung bastions burst the day of doom! 
They sleep. Bound fast in sleep, whom nothing 

wakes 
Until eternity their slumber breaks. 
All these impatient listen to the Word; 
Nor watch nor pray ; their giddy minds are bor'd. 
They toss to ev'ry wind, to which they spread 
Their careless sails, till ev'ry vice is bread ; 
The good grain killed; then vice will frolic there, 
Where once were hopes of golden harvests fair. 

Some hear the Word oppressed with worldly care, 
Complaining what to eat, to drink and wear. 
Their cares like thorns prevent the growing seed, 
They take away the moisture where they feed; 
Or with their shade, shut out the sun's bright ray, 
Complaining what to eat and drink to-day, 
Or wear to-morrow, driving cares on cares 
Into the heart till sorrow deeper wears; 
As drives the strokes on cruel nail afresh, 
*The nail imbedded in the healing flesh; 
Till wounds like worms that gnaw into the sore; 
Where death now riots was a scratch before 
Thus men will rush for wealth and dream of days, 
Of rosy days to come and heav'nly ways; 
Of worldly pleasures, fleshly lusts that burn, 
In self-consuming fires that wildly churn, 
And grind desires and hopes of worldly joys, 
To ashes and to dust with all their toys; 
Their lovely playthings and their earthly trust, 
Like roses withered, mould'ring into dust. 
Deceit of riches, hurtful lust thus drowns 
Men in perdition, covetous for crown?, 
And earthly honors with extreme desires, 
Inordinate endeavors, passion's fires, 
The pride of life, its pleasures, lust of eye, 
The lust of flesh, are thorns that grow quite high ; 
So tall they choke the grain and sap its root; 
These cares through hearts like poisoned arrows 

shoot. 
To love the world is but a thorn of care, 
Its riches bring deceit and fickle ware, 



book vnr. 65 

Deceitful riches like a rusty nail 
Devour themselves, their sickly treasures fail. 
Yet money, gold and wealth are treasures fair, 
Themselves are gracious blessings like the air. 
Alone, they ne'er prevent the growing grain, 
But rather serve to spread it to the main. 
Deceit of riches is the thorn, the knife, 
That cuts away the infant heav'nly life. 
For he that rests on worldly wealth and lays 
Foundations, reaps but tares for future days. 
Unrighteous Mammon, falsehood's hoary head, 
Stands up to mock him on his dying bed. 

Deceit of riches is to seek for wealth, 
By right and wrong, by honest labor, stealth; 
Their presence charms, in absence they're a spell, 
Unrighteous treasures never prosper well. 
For piles of giitt'ring gold they strive to gain, 
And find deceitful riches, foolish, vain, 
And hurtful lusts with all temptation's snares, 
That drown men in destruction 'neath such tares. 
The love of money is all evil's root, 
To which, deceit of riches we impute. 
Deceitful riches pierce the Word like thorns, 
Instead of hope, it crowns the head with horns. 
The pleasures of the flesh and world will choke 
The Word, like thorns they'll make the heart to 

smoke; 
They'll burn it up in lust and flesh's desires, 
And leave no sleep or rest amid these fires. 
Thus worldly cares urge men to seek for wealth, 
Deceitful riches at the price of health. 
And though they gain the world from pole to pole, 
The price which they exchange 's t' immortal soul. 
These cares are thieves that check and hold us back, 
On ev'ry side surround the heav'nly track. 
Like chains around our feet, they bind us fast, 
Prevent the hearing of the Word at last. 
The magnet with its pow'r the iron draws, 
And love of wealth the heart into its jaws. 
And when they go to church the Word to hear, 
They leave their hearts at home 'mid treasures dear; 
5 



66 BOOK VIII. 

Or send them forth to wander on the tide, 

Of human vanities and passion's pride. 

To follow Christ that youth indeed desired, 

But first to sell his goods the Lord required, 

And give them to the poor should be his task ; 

Too hard for him who loved his coin to cask, 

To kiss and hug it, turn it o'er and o'er, 

A slave to dust and ashes evermore. 

The thorns entice the wanderer to rest, 

'Neath their cool shades and boughs to bare his 

breast ; 
To cool his brow and quaff the fragrant rose, 
Where thorns will pierce and deathly ivy grows. 
So riches charm the heart, enslave the mind, 
Endanger souls enticed and make them blind. 
The brows of tyrants brilliant beams enfold, 
Of jewels rare and gems of glitt'ring gold. 
And yet what gay distress, what splendid woe, 
Sits mocking there amid their tinsel show ! 
They mock the soul. There evil conscience dwells, 
Whose torments blow in ev'ry sail that swells. 
It rides on ev'ry breeze that bears the light 
And frailest gossamer's wee, tiny weight. 
The walls have ears, and airy voices talk, 
And darkness seems to stand, to sit and walk ; 
And bear about ill-gotten gain and wealth, 
Like thieves at night that get their gold by 

stealth. 
Thorns deeply wound and oft with many wounds, 
So wordly care in wounds full sore abounds. 
The love of gold tbat urges on by force. 
The root of evil is, its very source ; 
The foster-mother of all sins and crimes, 
Which tempted Judas to disgrace his times, 
Deny his Master and despairing fall 
To drink the dregs of bitterness and gall. 
Such are the homes of thorny avarice, 
Where pois'nous worms and reptiles live in vice. 
They strutt in lewd profanity and pride, 
Despising God, His Word, exalted ride. 
For wealth gives courage, courage insolence, 
The tyrant's club of haughty arrogance. 



BOOK VIII. 67 

In purple and fine linen, kings attire, 
To sit on thrones and rule the world aspire. 
Fare sumpt'ously, and roll in fat like worms, 
And steal from passers-by all beauty's forms. 
With their long fangs they steal the woolly fleece, 
From tender lambs; disturb the trav'ler's peace. 
They suck their neighbor's strength and life away, 
Treat them unkindly, cheat them ev'ry day. 
They drag the poor unto the judgment seat, 
Oppress them toiling in the noontide heat. 
The least subsistance to the poor deny, 
And cheat them of their wages on the sly. 
Impet'ous gulls whose wealth their pride adorns, 
Will rush to seize the prize of cares and thorns. 
Approach the rich with prudence, not too near, 
Their pride will naught endure without a sneer. 
Their confidence and promises to trust 
Will yield abuse. Here reputations rust. 
Good names are lost ; possessions fly away, 
And blessings with contentment will not* stay. 
Deal gently with the young man Absalom, 
And touch him nicely that is troublesome. 
The thorns will bloom' awhile, but soon they die, 
Then blaze in curling serpent-flames on high. 
The rich like roses bloom in burnished gold, 
They toss their plumes and wide their robes en- 
fold. 
How long? When death shall blow his with'ring 

blast, 
Eternal fire shall hold these fagots fast. 
On beds of thorns are pillowed worldly cares, 
Tormenting thoughts and difficult affairs; 
Where nature's soft and quiet rest and sleep, 
Is e'er disturbed by Mammon's clawing creep. 
Then some torment themselves like silly queens, 
Enticed by fancies of their golden dreams. 
They pester those about them with their cares, 
And ask how they may flee old Mammon's snares; 
And yet may serve him good with all their lust, 
And fatten in their flesh and blood accursed. 
In them the Word no perfect fruit can find, 
They seek to fill their lusts and not their mind. 



68 BOOK VIII. 

There, av'rice dwells, and hell sets up its throne, 
And Satan reigns supremely and alone. 
He chokes the living Word, lest it should save 
The soul from burning passion's sinful wave. 
In sensu'l lust he leads the sow to roll, 
The unclean spirit in the unclean soul. 






M EX, 



To all these came the Word with prospects fair, 
With mercy full and providential care ; 
With pow'r and willingness to save ; that same 
Election full of grace and mercy came ; 
Took hold of men, but not by force which man 
Could not resist, or thoughts he could not span. 
But by its state, condition, faith it stood, 
To faith it offered all its treasures good. 

The contrite souls, way down within the vale, 
Watered with tears of penitence, prevail; 
In faith accept election with its trust, 
Grow hale and hearty fruit from forth the dust. 
In penitence receive the Word and hear, 
They cultivate the precious seed in fear, 
Display His virtues both in word and deed, 
By edifying hearts and souls in need. 
Before the crown, the child elect well knows, 
The cross with sore afflictions always goes ; 

"A great and obvious error must obtain, 
Election's doctrine blindly thus t' explain : 
Its cause is not alone God's mercy great, 
With Christ's most sacred merits animate; 
In man there's something too which is a cause, 
Effecting man's election and its laws." 

If man before his mighty Maker turn, 
No virtues hath, but sinful fires that burn. 
And hence possessed of naught that him commends, 
On which election unto life depends. 

A Christian though, has something more than man, 
Who 's dead in sins and in transgression's ban. 
The Christian has in faith, Christ's righteousness, 
His conduct pleases God in holiness. 
Elect to faith, to faith election holds, 
Through faith election all its gifts unfolds. 
Election then with faith is ever joined, 
In faith election's gifts are all combined. 

(69) 



70 BOOK IX. 

Election brings us faith by saving grace, 
Which Baptism and the Word alone embrace. 
Infallible election has this sign, 
Of saving faith, since its the gift divine, 
Which God unerringly doth give to all, 
Who '11 not maliciously refuse the call. 
Elect to life believers all are found, 
Elect to glory final faith is bound. 

Infallible election God imparts, 
Infallible its faith in human hearts. 
This sweet assurance of election then, 
Gives this security to faithful men. 
But human hearts are fallible entire, 
And faith alone will hopes for heav'n inspire. 
And hence by faith we make election sure. 
Which proves its loss if faith does not endure ; 
And that election unto glory rests 
On final faith, complete election's tests. 
Yet man's unfaithfulness cannot make void, 
The faithfulness of God he once enjoyed. 
What God still offers all while time endures, 
He gave from all eternity assures. 
A measured portion of eternity 
Is time ; with God, they both in one agree. 

Election's causes we distinguish thus: 
First sin, that gives occasion for its use ; 
Then love, internal motor in God's breast, 
With Jesus' merits, outer motor blest; 
These two effective are, and operate 
By grace through faith, the Spirit's mediate. 
And as effective causes have their means, 
They work effectu'l 'neath no other screens. 
Election's saving chariot rolls away 
Upon its course, 'tis Christ the Star of day, 
Who sheds His beams inviting all to ride, 
And on His broad Almighty Wings confide ; 
And fly to habitations of the blest, 
To ports of safety in the heav'nly rest. 
Upon this saving car your Savior rides, 
The richly laden vessel safely guides. 
He '11 never cast you out this car of grace; 
Saves all who run with Him this glorious race. 



BOOK IX. 71 

It cannot run itself; Christ runs the car, 
Apart from Him the means but lifeless are. 

Nothing exists but what may not be seen, 
In parts, or as entire, a truth cut clean; 
Opposed to winds that gulls will puff and blow, 
Whose thoughts with great obstruction thinly flow. 
Now there's a part embracing all the rest. 
Determines who's elect, and is the test. 
This proves who 's finally elect to bide 
In glory evermore whate'er betide. 
*Tis final faith, the poor man's passport there, 
Where raven-curtained night doth watch the fair. 
From all eternity this is the key. 
God's foresight must unlock, that God may see. 
It opes to God the heart in which the test 
Will show where judgment's long decreed doth rest. 
For judgments of His grace are made our own, 
And those of wrath are shunned by grace alone. 
Foreknowledge simply is the eye that shows 
In whom these judgments rest when life doth close. 
For judgment is begun at house of God, 
Where those believing to the end shall trod. 

Yet foresight ne'er influ'need the parts divine, 
To form, or execute this great design. 
Election still would gar its task be done, 
Were final faith in them to God unknown, 
Were 't possible in God to lay aside 
The exercise of foresight and provide. 

Election and foresight in one agree, 
Infallibility, the same great tree; 
Whose branches spread o'er both, and proudly wave 
Their mighty tops in sunshine yond the grave 
And hence frail mortals now the one forsake 
And hold to it for t'other by mistake. 
Thus prescience, often used to designate 
A wrong predestination based on fate. 
If God foresees all things that come to pass, 
They say, that settles matters in a mass; 
All things must please Him then ; both good and 

bad 
Are fixed effects His wreat decrees doth add. 



72 BOOK IX. 

To His decrees no such defects adhere; 

From Goodness only good effects appear ; 

Which only He decreed, the evil not, 

To this prescribed its bounds and certain lot. 

Infallibly foreknowledge takes in all, 

Counts up thy hairs and sees the sparrow fall. 

Election and foreknowledge here agree, 

Infallible are both, as God must be, 

For both are acts of God, and He is known 

To be infallible, and so His throne. 

Who'll circumvent foreknowledge then, impart 

Some news to foresight, or before it start? 

Outwit election by your unbelief, 

You only reap a harvest full of grief. 

For God's not mocked, as He means all things well, 

So His election, if we don't rebel, 

Will do its perfect work, bring us to know 

God's will, believe His Word, His seed to sow, 

And day by day the seeds of knowledge bring 

With patience on life's weary way to sing ; 

Amid afflictions trials all endure, 

Preserved within His faithful hand secure. 

And hence the myst'ry of election 's found, 
Where these peculiar simple means abound. 
Not in the bare decree that I or you 
Should be elected from the mass untrue. 
If He that's good had 'stablished this alone. 
As all the essence of election known, 
'T would then be easy understood and plain. 
No myst'ry to our minds would it contain. 
But this is arbitrary, absolute 
Election, which is easy to refute. 
The blessed Word of life itself 's a proof, 
That God ne'er wove such lawless despot's woof, 
That dotb ascribe to Him the tyrant's deed, 
That He such arbitrary things decreed. 
The myst'ry 's in the Word, or means employed, 
The depth of Wisdom found and man enjoyed, 
But could not comprehend, and yet besides 
His knowledge, or Foreknowledge here abides; 
With Wisdom it points out the persons sure, 
Who hold out faithful, to the end endure. 






BOOK IX. 73 

'Twas Wisdom found the plan, which is the grand 
And only myst'ry in election's hand, 
Embracing all the myst'ries once revealed, 
Combined in Christ, to which St. Paul appealed; 
He saw the depth of Wisdom, Knowledge too, 
For Wisdom's ways and means are always true ; 
Consistent with God's judgments; future things 
To presence, good and bad this Knowledge brings. 
His Wisdom, Knowledge, riches of His grace, 
The depth of depth which none can wade or trace ! 
Upon these depths we're tossed like little boys 
That safely swim on bladders mid their joys, 
On tumbling Summer seas of glory roll, 
In depths a plunging, tossed unto the pole, 
So faith protects from dangers ev'ry hour, 
Because it trusts in that mysterious pow'r. 

The rustling Muse now paused His words sincere. 
Some listened to this lore with godlike fear. 
They wondered ; wondered at the depth profound, 
Of heav'nly Wisdom and its teachings sound; 
In solid riches of His knowledge rapt, 
In thoughts that swept the universe were lapt ; 
And stood in all profundity amazed, 
When 'twas not theirs to understand, they praised. 
They sang : " 0, how unsearchable are all 
God's judgments, deep as hell; than heav'n tall! 
His ways and works are all past finding out! 
For who hath known the mind of God devout? 
And who hath been His counsellor before? 
For of, to, through Him all things are of yore.'" 

Now. scarce the Counsellor with earthly strife, 
Four hundred years ago had ceased this life; 
Rose filthy Absolute, who worked and toiled, 
Election's doctrine badly tore and soiled ; 
Within his miry bog of fear and doubt, 
With slimy ropes of reason long drawn out, 
With which he thought to build himself a scale, 
To clime upon that fence and iron rail, 
And mount above the bulwarks of God's throne, 
Reject His Word and Institute his own. 

The temple of Predestination shook, 
And trembled in heroic muses' look. 



74 BOOK IX. 

They girded on their armor for the fight, 
The clan of Absolute to rout outright. 
But these had hurled a show'r of arrows straight 
Into the camp of Truth, then lay in wait; 
They sent forth spies, who gained admittance there; 
Pretending to be friends they spoke them fair ; 
Corrupted them with doctrines false, base views 
On Sacraments deducted from their stews, 
Their false predestination, and with list 
And dev'lish cunning filled, their poison hissed; 
It singed the minds of friends to doctrines pure, 
Until great numbers flocked into their lure. 
And even some who bravely stood their ground, 
Against these innovations quite unsound, 
Mistook the darts with which the ground lay strewn, 
Which false predestinarians had hewn, 
They put them in their quiver, simply hearts, 
As though no poison lurked within these darts. 

To rout the clan and set to rights their own, 
On Bergen's Heights the chiefs began alone, 
To build their mighty fort on solid rock, 
Amidst the pealing thunder's wrathful shock. 
They reared their bastion cloud-ward to the sky; 
Its brazen girders all the world defy. 
Intruders and deluders they assailed, 
Till all the birds of twilight moaned and wailed. 
The Form of Concord pure they raised in love, 
In truth and righteousness from heav'n above. 
Then high, Concordia, their banner waved; 
With shouts of triumph ev'ry foe they braved. 
Now onward, onward still they moved to storm 
Their foul embattlements 'of ev'ry form ; 
Emboweled the intrenchments of the foe, 
Like sea-waves burst their dykes and overflow. 
They turned the villains out and sent them gone, 
For they were false, real bastards to the bone. 

When now the church was purified from foes, 
Another muse with stubborn mien arose. 
Contending like a crank he bolted out, 
Without support from friends or foes, so stout, 
He held that all must join his ranks of course, 
That their predestination 's a divorce, 



BOOK IX. 75 

Does not embrace near all the human race, 

The universal world, elect by grace. 

Still, Universal made but little strife, 

With his predestination unto life ; 

A little ripple on the sea of peace ; 

He blowed and fanned his wavelet to increase. 

Election universal, wide and free, 

Will swiftly join the riffraff of the sea. 

For all must know election 's firmly fixed, 

That here the good and bad shall not be mixed. 

But if through all resistance it would lead, 

'Twould then be absolute and need no creed; 

'T would ridicule the Lord, His grace and cross, 

His blood and suff'rings all a total loss, 

His doctrine false, when He declares that he 

Believing not is damned eternally. 
With scrapings in perdition be the blot, 
Where UniversaFs ugly claims must rot. 

Now as the older lights did sink and fade, 
The lesser lights grew bold to shine ahead, 
The light of sweet Concordia alone, 
With them did not suffice without their own. 
So Universal chiefly they did treat, 
With their Intuitu Fidei complete. 
A foxy light, much like the one we know, 
As Will o' the Wisp, or Jack a lantern's glow, 
A gass yclept the Ignis Fatui gass, 
A sneaking like a spook between the grass, 
Or raising 'bove the graves, or from some pool, 
From Absolute and his corrupted school. 
This light would lead them on, then flicker out, 
And leave them in that marsh to wade about, 
To sink or swim, to stick, to pull and jerk, 
For all their pains they have the same old work. 

At length arrived, with toiling all fagged down, 
They see the end that doth such journey crown. 
Before them lay the lake of boiling pitch, 
Illimitable, vast, with monsters rich, 
Of myriad multitudes of dragons, snakes, 
All kinds of creatures teeming full it quakes, 
Where league-long monsters through the surges tear, 
Oft looming up a mile their heads in air, 



76 BOOK IX. 

They traverse back and forth from shore to shore, 
And clime its rocks in tracks of pitch and gore. 
One cloven, shattered wall of rock miles high, 
And gulches deep and long the shores supply. 
Here terribly fierce reptile-monsters crawl, 
In multitudes upon this mountain wall; 
They raise aloft their huge and dripping forms, 
From out the black and burning, surging storms; 
Their lank-long jaws they widely tear apart, 
And gnash their fence-rail fangs till fire flames dart. 
The region bord'ring on the burning lake, 
Where Absolute is housed in bog or brake, 
Rough, broken, downward to the gulches slopes, 
Whose pitch-producing soil in fountains opes. 
There nestle Absolutes; grown self-secure, 
Where now they sleep in groups upon the moor; 
In these their synergistic boats they slide, 
Huge navies down the blackness of the tide. 
Here Universal's raven banner streams, 
And straying sects contending for their themes. 
With these at intervals the country fills, 
Prevents the flow of pitch in little rills. 
Then all at once in blackness overthrown, 
The avalanche careens and rushes down ; 
Where all the monsters waiting for the slide, 
Lay crouching;* then their jaws they open wide, 
And gulp them down, like fish in Summer show'rs, 
Await the grubs the rills wash down the shores. 
These monster reptiles but the grubs transform ; 
From whom they issue forth young monsters warm; 
So hot, they now endure the boiling surge, 
Where everlastingly they splash and splurge. 

And thus they learnt this light confused their 

_ _ sight; 
To follow it too far. brought evil plight. 
Retracing hence their steps, the pitchy slime 
Of synergism they left within this clime, 
With Absolute and his adherents, where 
It properly belongs with all its ware. 
Now, scouring clean their little lantern bright, 
Beside Concordia it sheds its light ; 



BOOK IX. 77 

Not equal to that noble roll and form 

Of sound and solid words and guiding; norm ; 

But as a key by which God doth unlock 

The future, showing His elected flock. 

This does not prove in God partiality, 

In Him there 's no respect of persons nigh. 

Election in its nature constitutes 

The possibility that in its fruits, 

All men might be included ; if they're not, 

'Tis their own fault, and not election's blot. 

True, God desires election for all men, 

Gives them His Word and grace this will to ken. 

This part is universal, gives all pow'r, 

Yet so, that they can spurn it ev'ry hour, 

In vile contempt and scorn beneath their feet, 

As choicest diamond-pebbles in the street. 

Foreknowledge true, infallibly foresees, 

Who'll reach election's goal as fruitful trees. 

It looks along election to its end, 

Then to its source whence its conclusions tend. 

Sees vile resistance to the close, will brave 

Election's pow'rs; hence these God cannot save. 

It does not cause the unbelieving fry, 

That they in base resistance blindly die. 

Nor does it cause our faith unto the end; 

To this our reason's vain conclusions tend. 

Resist it, for Concordia doth warn, 

'Gainst all conclusions from fore knowledge drawn. 

Because foreknowledge 's absolute, the way 

Where Calvinistic swamps and regions lay. 

'Tis true, that this conclusion is divine, 

To wit : Those who believe till death are mine ; 

I then foresaw all such believing men, 

Who die in faith ; John, Henry, Wash and Ben ; 

And hence; but stop. This faith is but a gift, 

By virtue of election's gen'ral drift, 

Which drift 's the same to all ; and hence we see, 

Not by a strict particular decree, 

Established on effects which God had seen, 

Did God conclude these certain men to screen, 

Protect and save just these, and give them pow'r, 

Alone to live in faith until death's hour. 



78 BOOK IX. 

This absolutely must exclude the rest, 

From any hope to be among the blest. 

And hence decrees established on effects, 

Effects do not produce in all respects, 

Save as the cause for which they're made, 'tis plain, 

Decrees without effects must all be vain. 

This is a sense in which faith is a cause 

Of the decrees by which election draws, 

But not election's cause, which is God's love, 

Or mercy, with Christ's merits interwove. 

These in election constitute its grace, 

Which gives us faith to run the Christian race. 

Thus faith 's a cause, yet not the final cause, 

For ivhich a man's elect by heaven's laws ; 

Which is God's glory, honor of His name, 

And man to share it in that great acclaim. 

In final faith foreseen, election's o'er, 
Completed in God's mind in time of yore. 
Yet faith foreseen dare not be placed in front, 
As moving cause or as election's font; 
The cause why God elected just these few, 
For that would make election partial too. 
Place that partiality to God's account, 
Election 's absolute right at its' fount. 
For since in foresight this election 's o'er, 
Completed, why begin the task once more? 

Foreknowledge gave occasion to God's love, 
To write us in the Book of Life above. 
And yet unfaithfulness is why these names 
He blots from out that book, the Scripture claims. 
'Tis thus the names of all believers stand, 
Within the claims of God's election grand. 
Thus by synechdoche election's put 
For faith, believers for elect to suit. 

Foreknowledge has alone no binding force, 
Demanding God election to endorse. 
But found occasion such decrees to form, 
Which constitute election and its norm. 
Had God not known from all eternity 
That man would fall, where would election be? 
He could have seen no use for such a thing ; 
In Him, what's useless, cannot have its spring. 



BOOK IX. 79 

According to foreknowledge was conceived. 
The whole occasion why this was achieved : 
Redemption, the foundation of decrees, 
Election owns in all its great degrees ; 
The gen'ral plan to save the lost and yield 
A free salvation, sent to all and sealed. 

Foresight of faith must stand beside the great 
Concordia, the mountain light sedate, 
A glorious queen, as sign and shibboleth, 
Declaring those believing unto death, 
Were known to God, elect eternally, 
On whose account God plies His sovereignty, 
And saves all who believe till death, no more ; 
And safely brings them to the destined shore. 

Twas thus within the church the contest raged. 
O'er man's predestination war was waged. 
But old Concordia, that glorious light 
Of truth, still waved triumphant in the fight, 
O'er conq'ring braves who stood in its defense, 
Against their stubborn foes in squadrons dense. 
Anon they rallied, dashing on the foe, 
In heav'nly armor clad with blow on blow. 
They charged then once again, and once again 
They routed them and drove them off the plain ; 
Till truth triumphant waved o'er salient braves, 
Who stormed the forts where now their banner 

waves. 
So thorough was their triumph, gentle Peace 
His horn of plenty filled with his increase, 
And joined long golden years unto his reign; 
And poured his blessings down on ev'fy plain. 

Conquer'd, yet not submitting, skulked the foe, 
And chafed in angry pride and bit their woe ; 
Sought strength for future wars, but all in vain, 
Their minions lay exhausted on the plain. 



(© JK J$Ti 



Time leaped the gulf of years; whose sable bourne 
O'erhangs that dark recess arid buried urn, 
That guards the lingering ashes and the dust 
Of slumb'ring heroes from the angry gust, 
Of raging winds and storms, and wafts the sheen 
Of mantling glories o'er their graves in green ; 
With tufted turf upon the battle ground, 
Where waved their banners to the trumpet's sound. 
Thus rest in sweet repose ye wariors all, 
And sleep; and wait that awful trumpet's call ; 
Then wake and resurrect your sleeping fires, 
To burn amid your fathers and your sires, 
On holier ground, where battles all are o'er, 
In yonder blissful realm and radiant shore. 
Ye fought the fight of faith. Your brows are 

crowned, 
With crowns your heav'nly Hero's valor found. 

Then turn where fair Columbia's shores unfold, 
Luxuriant plains and beds of glitt'ring gold ; 
Where mighty rivers flowing o'er the land, 
Send down their bounties to the ocean's strand. 
Majestic lakes embosomed in her hills, 
Fed by her cooling streams and mountain rills; 
The nursing cradle of the modern world, 
Where first its arts and progress were unfurled; 
Where Liberty awoke enrapt in types, 
And waved the banner of her stars and stripes. 
O land of freedom, liberty's retreat! 
Where peace and plenty find a cpuiet seat! 
Invention's nurse! Defense of human rights! 
The mother of the arts ! Parnassus heights, 
Old Greece o'ertopping, here the mind imbues, 
Castalian springs and temples of the muse ! 
sweet endearing realms, that stoop to please, 
Declining age 'mid blandishments and ease! 

(80) 



BOOK X. 81 

Still through thy shady lawns, O let me stray, 
Or in the forest wild and hear the lay, 
Where nature's harmonies their transports yield, 
And fragrant flow'rs are strewing ev'ry field. 

See wand'ring pilgrims leave a foreign shore, 
To groan beneath the tyrants yoke no more ; 
To build them homes, their altars and their fires, 
To worship God as did their father's sires, 
Ace ;rding to the wants of souls untold, 
Enlighten'd by the Word, their safe strong-hold; 
To pour their hearts libations forth in peace, 
And souls from spir'tu'l bondage to release. 

Now clans and tribes from ev'ry nation pour 
Through raging floods to seek the promised shore. 
Dispersed and scattered far throughout the land, 
They cultivate the soil with careful hand. 
Where soon the desert bloomed and gardens smiled, 
Where beasts once roamed the pathless forests wild; 
And savage demons thirsting for their blood, 
To nip their prosp'ring glories in the bud. 
With tomahawk and scalping knife equipped, 
The white the red in equal combat whipped. 
They drove them deeper still into the woods, 
Their secret haunts and tangled solitudes. 

The pilgrims soon become a living stream, 
Who pant for liberty where harvests teem, 
Where brighter suns shall burn with trembling 

flame, 
And o'er new glories waft their shiv'ring gleam, 
Where cities raise their tow'rs of glitt'ring beam, 
The Eldorado of the poor man's dream. 

The whistling engine plows the briny deeps, 
Or whirling o'er his iron track he sweeps 
Adown the valleys and around the hills; 
He climbs the mountain steep and booming thrills 
Along the rocky heights and tow'ring wall, 
He plunges down where roaring waters fall, 
Till thund'ring gulches howl and mountains rear, 
Like some young earthquake out upon a tare. 
The courser's headlight glares into the brake, 
The rocks are tumbling, hills a rumbling shake. 
6 



82 BOOK X. 

But while the red man groaned his last farewell, 
And soft its echoes o'er the bald hills fell ; 
Ere yet the iron horse on thund'ring rail 
Had gall'ped the hills or snorted- in the vale, 
Or plunged into the deep to swim the tide ; 
Behold, a noble fleet, old Dresden's pride, 
Forsake their native shores without just cause. 
Misguided dupes obey their tyrant's laws. 
Instead of serving God, they serve his turn, 
Who loved to slake his lust, in passions burn. 

High beat their hearts while sailing up the tide, 
And shouts went up as swelled the pilgrim's pride, 
To press their feet upon the promised shore. 
The tribes rejoice that now their wand'ring 's o'er. 
Alas poor souls ! that seek for rest in vain ! 
Who follow proud and haughty guides for gain ! 
Now soon they reap its bitter fruits, where toil 
And pain, disease and death their prospects spoil. 
Despair with' his tormenting skill disclosed 
Their Moses, lying in the flags embossed, 
A bull in rushes, daubed with pitch and slime, 
In filthy nastiness and stinking crime. 
For him they left their fatherland and crossed 
The wild resounding sea, all tumble tossed. 
Deluded mortals still their guide revere, 
Forsake their homes for heavy burdens here. 
They cheerfully excuse his grossest crimes, 
His life and doctrines false and ugly grimes. 
poor wanchancie, weird and wand'ring tribe; 
Give o'er the overcrafty creed-wright scribe! 
When will thy wand'ring cease from error's night? 
For still ye traik along mere streaks of light. 
The crimes your ancient leader swelled were gross. 
But now a spider weaves ; your modern boss. 
His web so loose and thin, no light contains, 
And still in woeful plight the tribe remains. 
Your ancient leader unsuccessful quite, 
So gross his deeds, his cunning failed to right. 
Arraigned and tried, convicted now he stood; 
Was envy plaintiff, glad to join the feud? 
Expelled, condemned to exile he must roam. 
They tow him o'er the river's tossing foam. 



BOOK X. 83 

Down where the Devil's Bake-ov'n threat'ning 

stands, 
A clang'rous river-pass, with washing sands; 
Where boatmen struggle with the treacb'rous tide; 
Where vessels stranded lie and sailors died. 
Now banished from his tribe the leader groaned, 
In fires of fiercest scorn he heaved and moaned. 
He bade farewell, and sought a stranger's berth, 
To lay him clown amid the dust and earth. 

Thus left without a guide they sought to find 
Among the wand'ring tribes a leading mind ; 
To set to rights distracted, souls, and. found 
The wasting fragments on a surer ground. 

A chrysalis was found among old tomes, 
Worm-eaten, soiled, imported from their homes. 
While now the chiefs in sadness long consult. 
In council for a guide without result, 
Behold! the chrysalis gave signs of life! 
It moved ! The Saxons now in plans were rife. 
They smote their temples peeping at the charm ; 
Rejoiced to find within a live book-worm. 
They cried: "Good news! Now hope 's revived 

again ! 
Fred him on royal honey, finest grain! 
Give him to eat the finest bread of wheat, 
Unmixed with cockle or the grains of cheat.'.' 

Thus nourished, soon full-fledged the bird appears, 
He spreads his party-colored wings and rears 
His crested bend as born to rule the tribe. 
The wand'ring heroes gape ; they look and gibe. 
They lout to get acquainted with the bird. 
One said with voice suppressed which others heard : 
" His beak is bent. A bird of prey ! Beware, 
Beware, else he'll devour us all fair-square." 

Assembled thus, the rest consult to give 
The bird a name, a name that long shall live. 
They dubbed him Rara Avis. -And this name 
Was well applied as equal to his fame, 
Of bearing truth and light upon his wings, 
Dispersing darkness wbere the light begins; 
And shines through truths our fathers taught of old ; 
He toiled with his untiring zeal to hold. 



84 BOOK X. 

He kept a steady flight, and waved the wand 
Of braves of olden days with pow'rful hand. 
In all his church he taught the truth to ply, 
In regions of intelligence to fly; 
The torch of heav'nly wisdom held with skill, 
Rekindling zeal and love in heart and will; 
That pastors young can search what fathers wrote; 
And now like book-worms all us can quote. 

But still, behold a man of flesh and blood ; 
Too zealous for a name for which he stood. 
An oracle he was that would not yield, 
In questions dark to him the tribes appealed. 
A dang'rous ground, that has been known before, 
To yield both popes and tyrants by the score. 
Here vipers crawl around, temptations grow 
Like weeds, as man on man will here bestow, 
The trust he owes to God ; and surely think, 
This human head is filled with golden chink ; 
And crammed with so much learning, has the pow'r 
To forge an answer ev'ry day and hour, 
To all who seek his counsel, whose reply 
Is held decisive, and esteemed sky-high. 
They search no longer what the Scriptures say, 
Or other learned and pious men convey. 
Although they err, they risk their being right, 
On his reply they cast their die and fight. 
They show they're right, although convinced they're 

wrong ; 
Through thick and thin they'll follow him with 

song, 
And sing with variations to his list, 
With flatt'ry foster pride till he persist. 
At length he feeds his itching ear on stuff 
The vulgar crowd in nauseous praises rough, 
Delight to slobber forth on ev'ry hand, 
Received as arguments of native brand. 

Thus guides direct too much attention vain 
Unto themselves, whom not a blush will stain. 
They proudty boast how oft they went to sup 
With Wisdom, eaten all His dainties up. 
They toss their heads and wear their bellies high, 
'T were hard to tell where all their goodies lie. 



BOOK X. . 85 

They care much more positions rich to hold, 
Than sacrifice for truth like heroes bold. 
Like fawning sychophants they whince and grind, 
Enlisting sympathy from other's mind. 

Now see a host in arms on Western plains, 
Whose aged heroes once composed the trains, 
That Rara Avis marshaled forth to stand, 
Like walls and tow'rs, and wield a pow'rful hand. 
Their faithful arms then crushed the lagging foe, 
And truth's victorious triumph they bestow. 
Now when his comrades urged their hero forth, 
Just see him fight and show his sterling worth ! 
Thus while this hero beat the trodden path, 
Where braves of old suppressed the viper's wrath, 
He walked a king, and gained adherents fast; 
Great hosts assembled at his call at last. 
They formed a league of vast proportions grand, 
On truth confessed in creeds of old to stand. 
Around those banners of our fathers fast, 
The slogan rose, the pibroch pierced the blast. 

At length, emboldened by success, he plunged, 
Like a leviathan he struck and lunged ; 
In seas untried, as 't were to test his grit, 
Or flourish strokes of his peculiar wit. 
And now when dotage claimed him for her own, 
When perched upon the tree whose top had grown 
The sallow leaf, the bird begins to spread 
His gaudy wings and rear his crested head. 
He cuts the upper deep and strikes straight home 
For glory, skims along the azure dome. 
His gaping comrades gazed with longing eye, 
As though a queen for drones had flown too high; 
When first he plunged upon his wild career; 
Then urged him on with many a lusty cheer. 
'Mid thund'ring gusts and clouds of thickest night, 
By fits and starts they see him on his flight. 
With winged oars he strikes the purple sheet, 
Then whips the bristling clouds of scorching heat; 
Now bends his course through sleety clouds of mist, 
To icy regions where his hopes desist. 
Then home returning from his sad career, 
He now relates his flight 'mid gallant cheer: 



86 BOOK X. 

" Ye heroes hark ! The fields anew explored, 
Long left uncultivated and unscored, 
Are scored and measured' now exactly true; 
The oldest fields again are changed to new. 
The fields on which our Luther, Chemnitz won 
The day, and in election's triumphs run. 
Our later heroes left the tried old ground. 
And held to forms of doctrine quite unsound. 
In scoring through that tried old field once more, 
I found these doctrines true of ancient lore : 

In God there 's no conditions ever fall ! 
Elect in view of faith I here recall! 
For faith would be the cause to move the will 
Of God, and place conditions in Him still. 
But God elects just whom He will or please, 
Without regard to faith which He foresees. 
Election is the drawing out of few, 
To make them children, heirs of glory too; 
Brings them to faith, through faith to life above, 
By special grace elective, out of love. 
Those shall and must be saved, and not one more 
Besides ; as sure as God is God of yore. 
Before our birth, or ere decrees were made 
To build this mighty world of light and shade, 
Or send a Savior filled with love to die 
For sinners, there my name He wrote on high ; 
Ere yet He did His Son, or means ordain 
To save mankind from sins accursed bane. 
Election long before determined all. 
Spite all that 's done on this terrestr'al ball. 
Alone it gives the persevering grace, 
And here is where I see revealed God's face. 
Of this great boon the Gospel ne'er assures, 
Election final faith alone secures. 
Unless election 's added to the Lord, 
And pushes us along besides the Word, 
We'll ne'er be saved, but left in hopeless doom. 
Then heav'n has unprovided us a room. 
As elect, long before they realized 
Their childhood, God His sons had recognized. 
In spite of them election brings the gift, 
Along this course thev soon or late must drift. 



BOOK X. 87 

Whom God elected, they must get to heav'n, 

Although like Pharisees they roll in leav'n, 

And wantonly contend 'gainst Gospel grace, 

Election predetermines ev'ry case. 

It bends the stubborn will, resistance all, 

Malicious, wilful, must before it fall. 

'Tis quite distinct from what 's the gen'ral way, 

Or order of salvation's grand display. 

This follows that, subservient to His will, 

And thus election's work must all fulfill. 

For by election God has willed but few, 

But by the gen'ral way His will is new, 

Embracing all the race for whom Christ died. 

The first partic'lar is, and so applied. 

But this is universal, and the two, 

Particular election of the few, 

And universal grace, cannot be brought 

In harmony by reason or by ought, 

The light of grace affords ; and e'er remains 

The myst'ry, contradict'ry to our brains. 

And yet we must believe them both and wait, 

Until the light of glory sets them straight. 

Thus God Himself 's the cause why few are saved, 

And man is lost because he ill behaved. 

This is the form of words that first was giv'n 

Election, made confess'nal, void of leav'n. 

Then let us anchor to this golden sheet, 
And stay where all our Luth'ran fathers meet. 
Come now, my darlings all, enjoy the feast 
Spread out for you, these tender sweets to taste. 
0, glorious myst'ry ! Come bow, kiss the rod ! 
Behold! and see the very face of God! 
And thus be sure without the least mistake, 
Infallible election has no break ; 
The crown is yours: 

E'en though you walk through sleet 

With bleeding feet, 
You'll walk that golden street 

Where angels meet ; 



BOOK X. 

Preserved by mighty pow'r 

Within His hand, 
Until you reach that bow'r 

And lovely land ; 

There bliss forever dwells ! 

Thrice lovely dells ! 
It seems I hear thy bells, 

And golden shells ! 

Mount ! my soul away ! 

Unto those shores ! 
0, why should I yet stay? 

My spirit soars ! 

Then sing the glad refrain, 

That yet remain ! 
My chariot soon will gain, 

That sumptu'us main ! " 



UK JT#< 



Now silence filled the hall, 
And deep concern and sadness reigned o'er all. 
Their faces drooped, turned pale, then crimson spread 
Its burning sheet of angry fire instead. 
In council now each hero drew apart, 
And poured in words suppressed his wounded heart. 
All wondered at this change as something new, 
They ne'er had known before ; now plain to view. 
Some testified against this scoring out 
Anew the field with quite a diff 'rent route, 
Unknown to Scriptures and to faith confessed 
In Symbols of the church our fathers dressed 
In truth, with forms of words both sound and good, 
That many a fiery tri'l had oft withstood. 
They thought the route anew scored out appeals 
To reason, follows close to Calvin's heels, 
And leads into the miry bog of doubt, 
Where Calvin's slimy ropes are coiled about, 
Entangling fiends in madness and despair, 
Where flesh securely boasts its rotten ware. 
This very speech doth end in rolling tides, 
With run-and-hop-and-step-and-jumpen strides, 
Of romping, roaring Methodistic gush, 
White-hot fanaticism that lost its blush. 
And thus they're made secure that they're elect, 
That God will ne'er such favorite sons reject! 

Then Rara Avis scorned his bold compeers, 
Who rose to doubt his word with hateful jeers. 
Said he : "All such are traitors. They're not friends, 
That call us Calvinists, and us offend. 
They say it tends to Calvinism to teach 
Election 's uncondition'l, as we preach. 
And thus they show their littleness, betray 
Their silly hearts in traitorous array. 
Let those who say such things forthwith depart, 
We can't endure them in our camp or heart." 

(89) 



90 BOOK XI. 

Achilles like, with firm and earnest look, 
Appealing steadfast to that noble BoOk, 
His bold compeer arose, whose words resound 
In silver tones that ring in echoes round : 

"I am the friend of truth ! Here I'll abide; 
And here defend my good old Luth'ran hide. 
We have long since revolved the matter o'er; 
The doctrine 's false, doubt not upon that score. 
The faith of old we hold, and to the world, 
We'll prove our banner, as our faith's unfurl'd." 

He spoke, and then unto his tent repaired, 
Patroclus at his side, the shrewd fair-haired. 

Like Priam now who stood upon his walls, 
Old Avis leads his cronies to his halls. 
All those of nearest kin he did prefer, 
The ship of state into their hands transfer. 
Embittered now with hate and passion rife, 
With list prepared their long and sullen strife. • 
They 'gan to build embattlements of mud, 
Raked up from stews of pitch, old Calvin's flood. 
And yet they say they plucked this fruit from trees 
Our father's planted in truth's pedigrees. 
Yet crowd what Calvin wrote right down their 

throat, 
And force them all to say the same by rote. 
Then add : Si duo faciunt idem, 
Non est idem ! we must apply to them ! 
But hold ! Just hear a motto we propose, 
Will serve your turn and fit your very toes. 
Read : Si unus ait duo inter se 
Opposita sunt, non est idem, say? 
Such contradictions they themselves sent forth, 
In words our fathers wrote of sterling worth, 
Which words .with Argus eyes their points assail. 
In bundles thick and strong by ev'ry mail, 
And tell them plain that's not the sense they meant. 
They still keep on to build their battlement. 

Assembled oft to find the best advice, 
How they'd bestow their pow'rs in best disguise; 
At length resolved, to wit: "That face to face 
To stand before the foe they'd lose all grace ; 



BOOK XI. 91 

They'd build around themselves a wall of brass. 
Surrounded by a ditch in. black morass, 
Deco}^ their victim thither in these walls, 
And beat him soundly there until he falls ; 
Then take him captive fast, and drag him down 
Into that ditch, to flay him there and drown." 

In high-church council there in halls sedate, 
The chief harangued his darlings to the bate. 
Complaining that true friends were scarce to find; 
"Go, each of you," quoth he, "to all be kind. 
And speak to all our tribe, and tell them true, 
For they're confused ; tell them our foes are few, 
That we are strong ; we'll hold the field by force 
Of numbers. Tell them so. This is our course. 
We'll rally all our pow'rs, and charge the foe 
At weakest point, all enemies o'erthrow." 

Those darling officers appoint a day, 
T' enlist recruits and make a great display. 
Assembled were plumed troops and pioneers, 
With pride and pomp and crafty engineers ; 
Who stir their blood with thoughts of glorious wars, 
With trumpets clamor and with martial airs. 
With wind-splitting fife and the rolling drum, 
To the big wars with prancing steeds they come. 
Confused, demoralized they found the camp, 
Some all on fire with rage their feet would stamp. 
They cried: "'Tis Calvinism! 'T will never do! 
Search our Confessions and the Scriptures through; 
Show us this folly! Where 's the doctrine found, 
That only such election doth abound 
With grace that really saves without the Word, 
And Sacraments, we Luth'rans always heard, 
And used as Luther taught, the only means 
Of grace the Lord for heav'n sufficient deems? 
But when we teach this doctrine now you say, 
'Tis false ; that we are saved some other way ; 
If I do not belong to His elect, 
To final faith the Word has no effect ; 
Although with honest heart I search and hear 
With diligence, and am absolved, and fear; 
Approach the table of the Lord, all 's vain ! 
Election 's an addition to the same ! 



92 BOOK XI. 

You say, 'tis an addition to the gift 

Of Christ, God : s only Son ; see where you drift. 

Election is the first and highest good; 

Christ first in time was man and shed His blood ! 

Election firmly fixed our destiny 

Ere time, determined in eternity. 

For Christ as man redeemed us first in time, 

And hence election is the most sublime! 

O monstrous blasphemy! Enormous fraud! 

And this the doctrine, this the stuff you laud ! 

To views like these you'd have us pledged, and steal 

Away our hearts from Christ? This is your deal. 

'Tis Calvin's nasty Gospel you send out, 

To pin us down to hug our chains and doubt. 

You parcel out your fortune by the wheel 

Of fate, and to your idol god appeal. 

An idol void of knowledge, whom you say, 

Has no foresight of faith to know the way, 

Election finds its persons and its means, 

But hidden lies 'neath fate and chance for screens." 

Thus dashed, the Avian heroes fawned and 

squirmed, 
Their cause with bold assertions, oaths confirmed ; 
And tried to rally their desponding troops, 
To rush beneath their banner, be their dupes : 
"Hear us, dear friends! We teach another form 
Of words, our doctrine's simple rule and norm. 
The form of sound words Paul requires to hold ; 
Our church's election has two forms of old. 
The doctrine's all the same, for if I say, 
In view of faith, or take some other way, 
Unto the faith, all 's one, the doctrine true 
Our father's taught, which we should never rue. 
Say not we're Calvinists. Don't blot our fame, 
And bring us down before the world to shame. 
Our name already stinks through all the earth, 
Behold! we stand defending home and hearth." 

Then some perplexed with doubt and fear began 
To quell the storm that raged through all the clan. 
Its fury drove them to the brink of doubt. 
One cried: "Be calm! What's all this fuss about? 



BOOK XI. 93 

Why, know the truth ; the diff'rence all can be, 
But 'twixt a tweedledum and tweedledee." 

"Cut is the tree that sometime grew so tall," 
The people cried; "the learned may note his fall. 
Errores, professores ! Thus they rise, 
Whose insolence may well exhort the wise. 
Not to attempt to grasp unlawful things, 
Whose headlong flight to gulfs of ruin brings. 
Such high-flown pride decoys these forward wits, 
To mount more thrones than heav'nly pow'r permits. 
He profits richly in divinity, 
In churchly matters of theology; 
The 'tempting gift of votaries, a claim 
He shortly got, and dubbed in D. D.'s name. 
In controversy and in knowledge rife, 
His sweet delight is to excel in strife. 
Now swoln full-thick with cunning self-conceit, 
He sometimes casts an eye upon God's seat. 
He waxed his wings and soared above his reach ; 
These melting, heav'n conspired his fall to teach. 
For, falling to a dev'lish exercise, 
He gluts himself with falsehood's tempting lies. 
He surfeits on his Calvinistic whim, 
Nothing 's so sweet as Calvin is to him ; 
Whom he prefers before his choicest bliss, 
Whose reason sweet has ravished him in this. 
While still he feigns the name he doth abhor, 
He chuckles 'neath his blinding mazes for." 

The Avian darlings gathered to their chief; 
Once more they met in councils haste and brief. 
" If possible," said they, " abate a bit, 
Or change expressions but retain the wit. 
Take back what 's dang'rous, hard to understand, 
For many daily now forsake our band ; 
They join our adversaries, and they send 
To them, their counsel in this strife to lend. 
And from our hated Synod and its schemes, 
Their hearts oppressed do pant for milder streams. 
Assembled oft, with elevated hands 
The people pray through all our hopeful bands : 
'Eternal King! High heav'n's supernal Lord, 
On lofty Zion's holy hill ador'd ! 



94 BOOK XI. 

Whoe'er has plunged us in this mad debate, 
Oh lead such author of this strife to wait 
And well consider; may dissensions cease, 
And joyful brethren join in bonds of peace.' " 

Said he : " Soon front to front approaching nigh, 
The armies come. Soon hear the battle cry. 
The time for peace has gone, and war begun, 
To try our faith and prove the crown we've won." 

A piping Chippy near the drumly pool 
And fatal waters of the Avian school, 
Chipped in: "See! how this new Achilles works, 
In sullen gloom against our cause he lurks! 
In all forbidden paths to steal away 
Our flocks he sneaks, equipped in wolf's array." 

An Avian Swan, who sings his madrigals, 
And swims the stormy surge and boist'rous falls, 
Upon the silver lake ('Tis not the Swan 
Of Avon though), at bright and early dawn, 
Harmonious to the waking bugle call 
And clarion note of war begun to brawl : 
"He'll fall into our hands. Against him charge 
His wrongs: The stealing of our sheep at large; 
With his blasphemous slander of our name. 
Thus held at bay, we'll crush and make him tame." 

"My little piping Chippy, damp with fog, 
Come let me stroke thee. Set upon this log. 
There firmly sit and pipe away. Fear not. 
The guns that aim at thee o'erreach their spot. 

And thou, sweet sailor 'mid the warlike gale, 
Spread forth thy snoAvy plumage for a sail ! 
Now arch thy proud defiant neck and guard 
Our fleet: our shores against incursions ward. 
Come paddler, let me kiss thy charming bill, 
And pluck thy- downy feathers for a quill. 

And my sweet Echo here; fall in my train, 
Send forth my words re-echoing o'er the main. 

My Favorite there, my minion, pet and dove, 
Bear me this olive branch of hope and love. 

Let Long bring up the order of our fight, 
That all may hold their ground both day and night. 

And last, upon our right our Cipher stands, 
So large, a thousand-fold enrich our bands. 



BOOK XI. 95 

Now show the mettle of thy pasture field, 
To no-man else the palm of'vict'ry yield. 
My own sweet bird ; guard this my littleness, 
Proud pelican of the lone wilderness!" 

Thus spoke the warlike hero to his chiefs. 
Harangued them there to stand to his beliefs. 

The young Achilles soon their movements 

learned ; 
That from their grace by force he'd soon be spurned. 
For clay by day unto his tents they sped, 
With painful hearts distressed and aching head. 
All gave him equal rights upon the field, 
To all his foes, both authorized and sealed; 
Which all regarded valid in their law, 
They now contended 'twas not worth a straw. 
For when their marsh'ling hosts prepared to fight, 
To stand opposed, Achilles claimed his right. 
Then in their council presently he rose, 
Their wily schemes and doctrines to oppose. 
Then loud awoke the barb'rous tumult's roar, 
Like cataracts their tumbling torrents pour. 
The baser passions ruled the boist'rous crowd, 
His rights in council nor a word allowed. 
Like cowards base they would not toe the scratch, 
E'en honest Indians made a better match. 
No heathen law has e'er contained a shard, 
That one accused condemns before he's heard. 
With shifts and subterfuges sought to hurt 
The force of argument; at truth to blurt. 
In this procedure vile they now assayed 
False accusations 'gainst him thus arrayed. 
Demanded him to answer yes or no, 
To questions they would put so he'd not know. 
They held, he must confess to mutiny 
And treason, slander base and blasphemy. 
When he refused, they thought they had him fast, 
Entrapped within the artifice they cast. 
And hence, proceeding on the ground they won, 
They claimed a duty yet remained undone ; 
Love's admonition! So that one by one 
Took up the theme and twanged their nazal tone : 



96 BOOK XI. 

..... "As I'm the person he attacked, 'tis plain, 
I'm not the proper one his love to gain. 
In all my life I never passed an hour, 
More terrible than this enormous stour. 
.... I've not the pow'r to say what's needed now, 
That he's dishonest, we already know. 
His mind 's perverted and to us he's lost ; 
I proved that up long since at his own cost. 
He's killed his conscience quite. This I deplore. 
God's judgment's on him, which we must adore. 
Our admonitions done to him are vain, 
In self-conceit his pride his soul hath slain. 
As David once his friend lamented dead, 
So I lament him now whose soul hath fled. 
He's dead. Disgraced by Satan now he stands, 
Who once was instrument in God's own hands. 
.... Of course, he's led by evil motives quite, 
Our churches to destroy and seek a fight; 
To cause offense against the doctrine pure 
He's learned of us. Of this we're very sure. 
We know the God of Jacob 's on our side, 
This is our comfort great. Here we'll abide. . 
Our whilom friend deserves our pity deep. 
May God abide with him, his soul to keep. 
This is your very nick of time. Beware, 
And use it well. If you have tears to spare, 

come and shed them now ! This day once past, 
You 're past redemption. Gone to hell full-fast. 
.... 0, I confess my heart is sorely grieved. 

1 came here to tend this fun'ral bereaved. 
But 0, the pity of it ; the pity ! 

That such a soul is lost, so learned and witty ! 
Oh ! Here we bury him in spirit ! Oh ! 
Would God he lay within his coffin now! 
How terrible to think, he'll not confess 
His sland'rous words for sheer, base stubbornness; 
Or shrink from his abuse of Calvinism. 
Still worse his mut'ny is and Synergism. 
This strife, this mutiny, this woeful curse, 
This shame, he conjured up and now doth nurse. 
.... Before God's seat of judgment now he- stands, 
I there accuse him with the vilest brands. 



BOOK XI. 97 

He may excuse himself and say: 'In fact, 

The love of souls compelled me thus to act.' 

In this, 'tis Satan holds him blindly fast, 

In base fanaticism he'll die at last. 

.... He oft has cast it up, and me accused, 

That I have oft unjustly him abused. 

So I have thought I might have said too much. 

Now, if in ought I've wronged him, e'en in touch ; 

All witness here; I take it back entire. 

And pray God's mercy may his soul aspire. 

.... I trust whate'er I say he'll take well meant. 

Dear knows, I've man}' an hour with him well spent. 

Let him consider well with whom he holds. 

In better days he thought them erring folds ; 

Deserving not the Luth'ran name. He knows 

'Tis so. His heart may well these words impose. 

.... His answer no, to me 's an awful bane. 

Thereby he says he'll mutiny again. 

The simple he misleads, who'll once be bold, 

To stand against him ; spurn what they now hold ; 

Accuse him, 'cause he led them from their home. 

Woe be to him through whom offenses come. 

.... As I'm his friend of old, just let me say 

One word. It seems he smiles at this affray. 

That he can bend his fingers here to write 

In these orations, this is wilful quite; 

And terrifies my soul, against us here 

To gather weapons only, as I fear. 

.... Our great forefighter you reviled and spurned, 

The church and office 'neath your feet o'erturned. 

You gave offense. Are you not terrified 

At this disturbance you have spread so wide ? 

The people cried in wild excitement loud : 

' We'll hear of no election in this crowd.' 

Denying this right here before us all, 

Is wormwood to my soul, and bitter gall. 

.... All church hist'ry j^ou may examine well, 

All truth 's with us, the heretics will tell. 

How sad it is that you in this find comfort. 

'Tis wicked, should you think of other effort, 

But this : How if I still have erred? Then bow 

Your knees, in tears to God renew your vow; 



98 BOOK XI. 

There mend your broken faith. This is the way, 
The only course left you. Repent and pray. 
In vain may you demand I should admit 
I might have erred, and errors may have writ. 
And then to add to this great impudence, 
I should confess you right, without offense;! 
A nice requirement for a Christian, sure ! 
'Tis an advice no Christian can endure ! " 



To these petitions, admonitions blind, 
They granted him reply; to speak his mind. 
He then arose and fleshed his maiden sword, 
So long denied his right and his good word : 
..." For well-meant admonitions, thanks to friends. 
From old Missouri's host, the truth me trends. 
I'll r*ot defend my person, for I'm thrice 
Unworthy here to speak in your advice. 
Yet, all these admonitions I would hold 
Much higher, were the conduct not so bold, 
And greatly unbecoming to the hour 
And great occasion of this godly stour. 
I fain desired you should make known your grounds, 
And prove them too to their extremest bounds; 
And thus convince me of the heinous crimes 
Which you have laid unto my charge betimes. 
When I arose to speak a little word, 
Your bursting yells and tumult I incurr'd. 
With cold unfeeling howls you put me down, 
Expelled me then with jeers and mock'ry's frown. 
You would not let me speak in my defense, 
Condemned me on report and mere pretence. 
Before this body here by one import, 
I stand before the highest churchly court, 
Of my own Synod, which alone has pow'r 
Of discipline o'er me unto this hour. 
Yet has not done this, knowing what I hold 
And teach, and what I've done ; all this you're told. 
Wisconsin has a diff'rent grace from you, 
It knows these accusations are not true. 
And hence has sent me here its delegate, 
With rights and erood credentials to debate. 
But here, in this high court I'm first accused, 
Without defense expelled, condemned, abused. 
And all for what? You say that I ignored 
The office, and in other flocks have bored; 

(99) 



100 BOOK XII. 

With mut'ny there, division and offense, 
To steal away your flocks was my pretence. 
Cry mutineer! Sectar'an ! Where 's the proof ? 
Grave accusations ; yarns make up your woof. 
Three cases; first in Stillwater, referred 
To Minnesota, 'gainst me is preferred ; 
Then Oshkosh to Wisconsin, and the Heights 
Of Washington, the fame of these great lights, 
Of great Missouri, chief accuser here, 
And judge. Let facts show up your foul career. 

Stillwater had withdrawn from Synod quite, 
Which sent committees promising the right. 
By resolution first the church required, 
To treat with them through men which it desired ; 
Resolved both sides should have an equal right, 
And sent for me to come and help them fight. 
Where 's here your nest of accusations found, 
Of interfering where I had no ground? 
Show, why you charge 'gainst me the villainy, 
Of causing in this church base mutiny ? 

The church at Oshkosh took position square 
In favor of the truth which we declare. 
Arrayed itself against the doctrine vain, 
Its pastor and its Synod would maintain. 
Their pastor then proposed a good debate, 
On doctrines in dispute deliberate. 
He'd send for good debaters from abroad, 
To help him guard against suspected fraud. 
The church consents, but claimed the native right, 
And pow'r the church's defenders to invite. 
They sent for me to help defend their part, 
To come to this discussion in good heart. 
I came prepared, to which the other side 
Protested ; as intruder me decried. 
The church resolved I should defend my name 
Against this accusation, and this claim. 
I proved the pastor stood with all his wights 
In doctrines false on congregation'l rights. 
And this the issue of the grand debate ; 
These nidings turned their challenge into prate. 

Now for these lofty Heights of Washington, 
Missouri hazards all her honor on. 



BOOK XII. 101 

Around these Heights cloth blow a dreadful sough, 
Exposing them like ninnies in a row. 
Hark ! hark ! the doleful news from Heights so great : 
" We never yet were loud Missouri's mate ! 
And now, because of late her doctrine 's false, 
Our pastor left her as she went to waltz." 
All this took place before I knew such Heights 
Existed. Truth, new unions thus creates. 
They all with pastor called me to explain 
The doctrine in their church which they maintain. 
Now where 's the mut'ny here and villainy, 
Where have I done so great enormity ? 

The proof and witness you have not produced, 
Why you have me with calumny traduced. 
You knew you had none, so you cast this net, 
This trick, to bring me to disgrace, you set; 
By ugly condemnation and the game 
Of this mock trial, which you here inflame, 
That you might thus the stench somewhat abate, 
That hangs upon your deeply rotten state. 
Like silly rogues desire to equalize 
Your own disgrace, you thought I'd temporize. 

Now as to doctrine taught I testify, 
A man with truth may be in heresy. 
When he believes a thing simply because 
His teacher says so, for his own applause. 
So then the very truth he holds becomes 
His heresy, by which he errs and roams. 
The native soil of human hearts incline 
Unto this god, devoted to its. shrine. 
The wealthy merchant who his profit seeks, 
Or chases pleasure o'er its lofty peaks, 
A traffic holds religion ; so confused, 
With many piddling things his mind 's abused, 
So many myst'ries, rites and laws obtain, 
To keep a stock upon the trade is vain. 
And so the rest, whate'er their trade may be, 
Just so regard religion in this key. 
And hence resolve to give all toiling o'er, 
To some divine of note and pond'rous lore; 
To whom they now submit the management, 
The care, the credit and the tenement, 



102 BOOK XII. 

The warehouse of their soul's affairs in- trust; 
Give him its locks and keys with all their rust. 
Adhere, resign their all to him, and make 
His person their religion, is their freak. 
With him, their own religion comes and goes ; 
In him, they entertain it with their shows. 
They give it gifts, they feast it, lodge it well, 
Comes home at night and helps to pray a spell. 
'Tis liberally supp'd, then laid to bed; 
In sumptu'us robes it drops its rev'rend head. 
Next morning their religion will arise; 
Saluting it, they treat it with supplies. 
Walks out with them at eight, and drinks some beer; 
Then leaves them in their shops their work to steer. 
Without their sweet religion have their toils, 
From morn till night alone within the coils. 
Now take this picture, fit it to your case, 
It fadges to you, like sweet lady's dress. 
One is our Master, even Christ, we hold; 
With } r ou, papistic heresies are bold. 

I hurl the vile opprobr'um in your teeth, 
The sword of argument I here unsheath ! 
That you are Crypto-Calvinists is true; 
What you in this confess is doctrine new. 
'Tis Calvinism, I say, to teach that God 
Elected only few His name to laud ; 
Before He e'er had thought on Christ, to send 
Him to our world our broken souls to mend. 
That first of all, from all eternity, 
Resolved to crush all stubborn enmity ; 
Their opposition wilful take away, 
As sure as God is God to heav'n defray. 
This is your doctrine ; which takes out but few. 
For heavenly predestination true. 
This is the ult'mate ground, foundation sure, 
Of our salvation, oldest good and pure. 
Yea, older than the Son of man, and makes 
The means of grace effective for their sakes. 
And hence elect are drawn by greater force 
Than non-elect upon election's course. 
You teach that we must have this special grace, 
By which we persevere and see God's face. 



BOOK XII. 103 

By this alone will heav'n its treasures yield ; 
In Gospel grace alone, we have no bield. 

And now we must entirely certain be, 
That we're elect by such a dark decree. 
'Tis utterly impossible to doubt, 
But be entirely sure we're taken out, 
From all the mass to have that special grace, 
Which gives us final faith to see His face. 
Which common Gospel grace alone does not ; 
'Tis void, without this grace election 's got. 
Election rests upon God's purpose sure, 
That can't be overthrown and must endure. 
But faith upon the simple Word alone; 
Which no assurance gives that I am one, 
Your comfort dripping doctrine will commend 
To heav'n, preserve me firmly to the end. 

Despair ! Despair is doubly written there ! 
For where 's the voice, or face, or favor rare ! 
Who hears, or feels, or sees it ? To this hour 
This doctrine is a great tormenting pow'r. 
It haunts and troubles Christians everywhere, 
And leads them to the gulf of great despair. 
There is no comfort there which we must seek, 
Beyond the Word and Sacraments to take. 

Your leader holds he 's right and I am wrong, 
But that's a stick as short as it is long. 
He says it is impossible to think 
That he could err; in Calvin's bogs to sink. 
And hence his judgment o'er my soul he hurl'd 
In fiendish glee and sport before the world ; 
The curse of excommunication o'er 
My wounded soul, to hell forevermore! 
All this he does without a show of proof, 
Or hear defense ; and still so proud and rough. 
Who doubts his great infallibility, 
He will reject with great antipathy. 
He will incur his hate, who tries to root 
Out errors he has planted, with their fruit. 
What hangs like fate o'er all your fruitful tents, 
Will strike your Synod and reveal its rents. 
There error quakes, and threatened long to drive 
Your ranks to hostile atoms fugitive. 



104 BOOK XII. 

While now they sit, contrive to bide the time, 
And wrack their patience where it cannot chime. 
He knows these facts and said : ' The aim was right 
To have State Synods ; but don't suit me quite. 
For while the light still glows within my eye, 
My life's great work I still shall magnify ; 
As long as life endures I hope to see, 
Missouri still remain but one great tree, 
That I have planted ; and while life doth waste, 
Beneath her spreading limbs to breathe my last.' 
He claims she is the glory of his life, 
For whom he toiled and plunged in ev'ry strife. 
With him 'tis very plain, except his own, 
No other glory e'er so glorious shone. 
Within his ears let ring in thunder peals 
His Savior's voice that all his sins reveals.' 
The voice cries: 'Verily I say to you, 
They have all their reward,' repent and rne. 
Scorn, laugh, do what you may, these are the wounds, 
A faithful friend condemned, in love propounds. 

I came not here in my own name to speak, 
But have been sent, our Zion's peace to seek. 
Who has come here a chosen delegate, 
With rights and sealed credentials adequate, 
In value estimated 'bove my own ? 
Then, whence this arbitrary pow'r and tone? 
I ask to represent my Synod here, 
With full permission in her name appear?" 
.... "Officially, I say, aur action stands, 
Until you both repent and wash your hands ; 
We cannot recognize your right to claim 
A seat and voice with us in any name." 

Thus umbeset and snared, he kindly rose, 
And smiling, nods farewell unto his foes. 



> jr jotjTs 



They now proceed unto their labors great, 
To fortify their walls and save their state. 
While all absorbed in thought upon their theme, 
Their comfort-dripping doctrine seemed to stream 
In show'rs, till all their faces wore a smile, 
As pleasant as a marriage bell the while. 
Then all at once they heard a cry. One falls ! 
While others bear him from the sacred halls! 
A death-like silence reigned and all was changed. 
They stared upon each other quite estranged. 
They looked as white as chalk. The heart now 

throbs 
Against their ribs. They breathed with heavy sobs. 
As thunders strike the clouds and hurl their fire 
Beneath, and threat to build a fun'ral pyre 
Of this big world ; as when in reverie, 
The wicked taken in their revelry; 
They, seized with fright, now tremble in dismay, • 
Their conscience preaches of the judgment day. 
In groups all huddled up they drew aside, 
While each in mute debate discussed and sighed. 
Their chief then rose, addressed these words of balm, 
To cheer their frightened hearts and fears to calm ; 
And now their former comfort-drippings fell, 
Like warm rain drops on meads of asphodel : 
" Dear brethren ! All our hearts in pity melt. 
We know how our dear brother's fate is felt. 
There was a dagger pierced my soul, to hear 
That dreadful cry, I oft have heard and fear. 
It is the cry of some who can't obtain, 
The comfort which they seek, and try in vain. 
Because this comfort 's only for the few, 
Who are elect to faith and glory too. 
Our brother, true and faithful, sorely tried, 
Has ever been my bosom friend beside. 

(105) 



106 BOOK XIII. 

In learning ripe and sound, was highly held 
Among us all for his rare gifts, now felled. 
Was honest, pure and upright in his heart, 
All loved him well ; so young, and }*et so smart. 
Was filled with pity unconstrained for all ; 
He'd never cause a pain though e'er so small, 
But what he felt its pang's redoubled force; 
And now of late his mind is growing worse. 
He thinks deranged he sees his sainted wife, 
Among the stars all queened with crowns of life. 
I hoped for him, that soon he too might find, 
That special comfort to a royal mind." 

A messenger with tidings now appears ; 
He came in haste, and thus expressed his fears : 
" I bring thee word from our dear friend distressed, 
To come and visit him, is his request. 
I fear his struggles soon will all be o'er, 
His spirit wafted to the other shore." 

"Come on," quoth he, " let's go and see our friend. 
In dark despair he now doth for us send. 
The thoughts of his election doth oppress 
His soul. We'll comfort him in his distress. 
These thoughts but lead him to uncertainty, 
Tormenting pangs of all adversity." 

Now soon unto his lodging they repair. 
To hear his dying groan 'mid foul despair. 
Where time, the unreturning river floats, 
And fleeting, bears away his dying notes. 
. . . . " Here by this window lay me down to die. 
That I may wait some herald from the sky. 
So. Thus disposed I'll rest me here awhile, 
And wait the Father's beaming face and smile. 

Like this fair boy, I saw a rosy child, 
Whose honest face with hearty laughter smiled, 
Whose eyes-were sparkling fair, translucent bright, 
His parent's joy, his sister's sole delight; 
Enjoyment's edge he oft had whetted keen, 
While playing with his sister on the green, 
By ruthless vagrants stol'n from home and sold, 
To strangers more inhuman still and bold. 
He never learned to know his parent's name, 
A mother's love, or pathos of its flame. 



BOOK XIII. 107 

0, the great inhumanity of man, 
Whose sordid hearts with hearts will traffic pain. 
Whole fam'lies thus in bondage scattered, driv'n 
To lands unknown like dust by winds of heav'n. 
Two little heads with golden-curly crowns, 
I leave to this rough world and its dark frowns. 
Sweet blue-eyed radiance all diffused in tears ! 
Let rapt and burning Seraphs guard your years ! 
My little ghd! Sweet boy! What pictures here! 
Sweet offspring, sprung from out that heav'nly 

sphere ! 
0, royal faces! Emblems of a King! 
Fit images of deity you bring ! 
By your great Prototype ordained to walk 
In paths where destiny's dark terrors stalk. 
*To travel, whither? One to heav'n? To hell 
The other ? Shall we meet again ? Who'll tell ! 
Where, 0, where, shall our sev'ral journeys end? 
But cruel destiny doth never lend, 
The keys that will unlock her temple's door, 
Where her great oracles, laid up in store, 
Consign the one to slav'ry's galling chain, 
Or both, 'neath hell's despotic tyrant reign. 
fool ! With this insatiable desire 
Some one has filled me, thus my lot t' enquire ; 
Foresee, control, what cannot be foreseen, 
Controlled — the destinies that will convene, 
An hour hence ; or to-morrow ; or next day ! 
0, worthless life, exhausted in this way ! 
Farewell, my little ones, and trust in God ; 
The Bible read, whate'er the way you trod. 
Farewell ! 0, that my eyes were oceans now, 
I'd flood the world till mountains overflow. 
My heart is torn to shreds. I cannot weep. 
'Tis overloaded, buried mountain deep. 
And all that 's left me is the tiger-mind, 
And Stoic 's resolution to be blind. 
By sheer necessity 'tis thus I go, 
For all my ardent hope 's inscribed with woe." 
.... ''Cheer up dear brother, cheer! This is God's 

will! 
Why not accept it then, and hope fulfill?" 



108 BOOK XIII. 

. . . . " Make hope despair. Tell it to hope in turn. 
Put straw to fire and tell it not to burn. 
Turn rivers back till all the monstrous sea 
Is stacked upon the mountains by decree. 
Enrich that disemboweled fertile vale, 
Besides its benison with golden weal. 
Tell me to put up patience and to borrow, 
Then pay it all to grief upon the morrow. 
Your cures and remedies, too late, are past. 
They end in sorrow and despair at last. 
And hence I'll drink the cup and eat the woe, 
Accept the worst, since good I must forego; 
And with a tiger's resolution prey 
On rank despair; despair with grief repay. 
For all the nasty syr'p stewed up by quacks, 
Can never med'cine me from sorrow's wracks." 
. . . . " You know the doctrine of election well; 
Then trust in it, 'twill all your sorrows quell." 
. . . . "I know the great majority of men 
Are reprobate; my chance is one in ten. 
These crim'nals ere their birth were so decreed ; 
God simply willed their ruin should succeed; 
From all eternity He has designed 
Their punishment, to which their sins inclined. 
Elective grace alone can save the few ; 
For whom it was designed He'll give it too. 
Plague-stricken, children of wrath, from their birth 
Condemned, ere we beheld this sin-cursed earth. 
I oft and long with painful thoughts subdued, 
Have pondered o'er this monstrous multitude. 
I sought a refuge from that host condemned ; 
Experience tried, so oft you recommend. 
But found no special grace to comfort me, 
And hence conclude 'twas thus designed to be. 
And yet, as best, I sought for it with tears, 
But no one knew I bore such groans and fears. 
I hardly ever slept, but thought I saw 
And felt some mighty hand, or monstrous claw. 
I felt this wrack and torture infinite, 
And waited for my sentence with affright. 
I knew full well I had a chance among 
A thousand, or a hundred thousand strong: 



BOOK XIII. . 109 

In ev'ry nook the heav'ns were flashing fire, 

And brandished o'er me thunderbolts of ire. 

The sun did not warn me, I felt all cold. 

The azure heav'ns shone not for me in gold. 

All things have lost their sweetnessand their beauty, 

I care for no attractions but my duty. 

My wont of gayety and laughter 's gone, 

I'm pale with anguish, all my hopes are flown. 

I probe my heart, alone it can reply, 

And make me certain if my pardon's nigh." 

. . . . " What He requires of His elect, so do, 

And doing that, conclude you'll never rue. 

Then take the Word and see His cheerful face, 

And hear His voice that speaks elective grace." 

. . . . " I've looked and waited long to see that face 

Of God ; to know I had that special grace. 

I looked to see the door of heaven ope 

Its golden store of love to me in hope. 

But all these years no voice or smiling face ; 

The heav'ns are turned to brass without a trace ; 

There 's no election there, no voice to tell, 

I am not destined to the doom of hell. 

thou, thou vengeful Pow'r! whose name is 

writ 
In yonder purple dome, so neatly knit. 
Whose glowing comets prewarn thy advents ; 
Whose breath the mountain girder circumvents, 
And blows the teeming Ceres' foison down, 
And rides thy whirling chariots' thund'ring throne, 
And hurls or plucks the masoned turrets forth, 
Or breaks the proudest monuments of earth, 
And crushes sculptured gods and kings to atoms, 
Whose havoc battle fields reveal in fathoms, 
Of human skulls unearthed. Thy vengeance shakes 
O'errank cities ; it checks the crimes of rakes, 
Sets dusty records even ; purges times 
Of their enormities and lessens crimes. 
By thinning out the guilty cleanses states 
From anarchy and treason with their mates. 
0, turn Thy sovereign pow'r unto its source, 
Where mercy tempers justice — stop Thy course! 



110 • BOOK XIII. 

Show Thy good pleasure unto me — heart broken! 
Let some star glister new in heav'n as token. 
Give Thy assurance 'gainst death's pow'r to harm 
Or hurt me; hold me, neath Thy mighty arm. 
0, guard me ; let me not be too audacious ! 
0, Thou, that reign'st in mortal bosoms gracious! 
Rule Thou my sighs and groans! Take Thou my 

tears ! 
They are my last, seasoned with holy fears. 
0, were I bride-habited now ; endowed 
With hope to see that Bridegroom in His cloud, 
Where heav'nly hosts do sing His highest praise; 
And harps of thousand strings entune His laj^s. 
But now I know not his own will to me, 
Anent election ; or His bounties free. 
Unclasp the sentence ! 0, Thy myst'ry great ! 
I'm waiting still in doubt, unplucked by fate." 
. . . . " Let us retire apart. 'Tis all in vain ; 
Although he strive that comfort now to gain. 
'Tis manifest, God leaves him now in doubt. 
Lost ! Lost ! Poor soul ! See how he stretches out ! 
This proves our doctrine plainly. If God choose 
Not thee, thou heav'n and life and all must lose.'" 
. . . . " Ye heav'nly luminaries, kindle all 
Your wanton fires of light on heav'ns high wall. 
Roll up thy firmament a fiery scroll, 
And ope the galaxy from pole to pole, 
With dazzling brilliancy of all your bright 
And glowing constellations' pow'rful light; 
•0, burst the doors of heav'n to see that face, 
And hear that voice call out my name to grace! 

Ye luckless heav'ns, have I deserved this wrack? 
Ye partial stars, will you my comfort take? 
You make me desp'rate in this agony ! 
My soul is lost past all recovery ! 
The soul, despairing of its heav'nly wealth, 
Runs me to madness. I'll go hang by stealth." 
.... "Just watch him, servant, lest, before he die, 
Thus raving wild, he'll fall two stories high, 
Adown that window there. Let us away, 
Our comfort 's all in vain, e'en though we stay. 



BOOK XIII. Ill 

Whom God refuse to comfort, must go mad. 

His eyes look darts of fire. He seems so sad. 

He scowls on me, as though I were to blame. 

I'll bid farewell, and leave him as I came. 

Farewell! Farewell! Submit! God's will be done! 

Your struggles all are vain. God saves alone." 

. . . . "Fare thee well! 0, farewell! And is this all? 

Farewell ! Thus sound the notes these trumpets call ! 

Stand still, ye ever-rolling spheres of light ! 

See, how swift-footed time has ta'en his flight! 

He leaves me in despair ! No sleep is prone 

To fasten down these eyelids. Soon, all 's done. 

Now my distempered, tempest-riven brain 

Seeks for a passport through this shad'wy train, 

This silent black-robed night, my nature's curse, 

With hideous demons filled, hell's frightful force. 

0, now I feel life's taper flick'ring give 

Its feeble light. I've one scarce hour to live. 

0, see that light ! What star is that ? See there ! 

T.he load-star of my soul in beauty rare, 

Clad in the jewels of a thousand queens, 

And fairer than the breath of even seems, 

Sucked up my soul in kisses fern-ago. 

She passes on, and leaves me in my woe. 

Time flies! Now, soon the clock of heav'n will 

strike ! 
Death comes. I see its long-pronged fiery pike. 

Ye stars that ruled at my sad natal day, 
Whose influence brought me to this misery, 
And destined me to hell, dissolve me now 
Into a mist, and hide me 'neath that brow, 
Of yonder toiling cloud ; which now doth sink 
Behind that mount to quench its thirst and drink; 
That with the water-drops of ocean's wave, 
I'll leap into its bosom as my grave, 
Where none will seek or find me. 0, it comes ! 
The darkness thickens ! How the terror foams ! 
0, see the bony fingers, and that hand ! 
He threatens to impale me like a brand ! 
His fork sticks me ! 0, turn me into air ! 
0, Christ receive me ! Take me to thy care ! 



112 BOOK XIII. 

0, help me leap into the firmament; 

And flee from everlasting discontent! 

0, death ! look not so fierce on me, away ! 

O, horrid serpents ! Help ! 0, let me stay ! 

I cannot breathe ! My breath grows quick and short! 

0, ugly hell ! It comes ! I've reached my port ! " 

When ling'ring day the east did luminate, 
The whisp'ring friends in clusters congregate. 
They hear a neighbor's trembling voice relate, 
The dying horrors of the poor man's fate. 
.... "0, such a fearful night was never known, 
Since first the world began in sin to groan. 
Such fearful travail. 0, such shrieks and cries 
Were never heard. He looked out on the skies, 
They said, and 'twixt the hours of twelve and one, 
He called aloud for help, then almost gone. 
I heard him shriek with terror, and then cry: 
1 0, ugly hell ! O, death ! ' Then fetch a sigh. 
He sought and hoped in his strong heart to find, 
The grace election brings the human mind. 
To this devoted all his strength and soul. 
And hence 'tis plain ; we 're not to play that role. 
He, thus despairing, like a drowning man 
Will catch at straws, his fight with death began. 
He hoped to find some hole for his escape, 
From this big universe, a yawning gape, 
Some star that stood to see his dying doom, 
He thought to find, to light him to his home. 
Such doctrine can't be true. God's Word was giv'n 
For comfort, hope, upon our way to heav'n." 



jr 



Mount on thy Phlegon Muse, and soar 
To yonder world's celestial shore; 
And view the gath'ring hosts above, 
All ransomed by redeeming Love. 
What scenes arise, 
On ravished eyes, 

In sweet Jerusalem ! 
Wisdom and Love, 
Triumph above, 

And wear the diadem ! 
Where mountains 

Of flowers, 
And fountains 

With showers, 
Forever shall gladden that plain, 
Where forests of green, 
Refulgent are seen, 
In rivers that flow through that main ; 
And cherubims warble, 

The songs of the conquest; 
While seraphims garble, 
The sheaves in the contest. 
Whom worldly-wise ninnies rejected as lost, 
And left them despairing in sorrows all tossed. 
The saints are triumphant; the trumpets, all blow; 
Michael the arch-angel treads on the foe. 

8 (113) 



114 BOOK XIV 



II. 



That Triumph afar, 
Shall be a pole star 

To my soul. 
The conquest to share, 
The cross we will bear 
To the goal. 
We will fight and contend, 

And hold fast to our crown ; 
For on this will depend, 
If election 's our own. 
Let fools be tormented with gods of their own, 
Who teach an election to Scriptures unknown ; 
That rests not on grace that is common to all, 
But in the mere pleasure of God it must fall ; 
And this mere pleasure, 

Is not in harmony, 
With the great treasure, 
Of common sympathy. 
Ailing, 
Wailing, 
Whining, 
Pining, 
Lying, 
Crying, 
All tumble tossed, 

In doubt and fear, 
Alternate crossed, 
By doctrine smear; 
By their own arts, 
They break their hearts, 
With error confounded, 
And shame all surrounded. 



BOOK XIV. 115 



III. 



We will sing like the birds and be merry, 
Though they find neither grub nor a cherry, 

Though they have no supplies in their barns. 
We will banish all care like the flowers, 
We'll not toil, neither spin, yet have bowers, 
And our robes shall be free from the thorns. 
Where beauty lies breathing, 
The breath of those flowers, 
In sweet fragrant bowers, 
Where garlands are wreathing, 
By cherubs sweet, 
With golden feet, 
From the willows that grow, 
Where the sweet waters flow, 

In that Aidenn ; 
For no Solomon's throne, 
With such beauty e'er shone, 

Or was laden. 
Wisdom provides, 

We need not to care ; 
Love she presides, 

She 's Queen of our fare. 
Take the sweet bird from its mate and its tree, 

Wherever 'tis caged it sings to be free ; 
Take the bright flow'rs from the light of the sun, 
However they're nursed their race is soon run ; 
Take the fair shell from its home on the lea, 

Wherever it goes it moans for the sea; 
Take the great eagle from mewing its young, 
Away from its hills its soul is unstrung ; 
Take the fond heart from its home and its hearth, 
It talks of its loved ones through the'whole earth; 



116 BOOK XIV. 

Take the stout king from his queen and his throne, 

He weeps like a child cast out and alone ; 
Take the sweet queen from the heart of her king, 

In mourning and dust her bosom will wring ; 
Take the kind soul from the home of her love, 
Her Bridegroom she waits from heaven above. 
What sound is that invades the ear? 
The mighty Conquerors are here ! 
Victorious Wisdom comes, 
With Love to guard our homes, 
Eternal with allodium ! 
In Christ, the Conquerors appear ; 
In Christ, their Conquests, Triumphs rear ! 
Almighty Hero ride ! 
Lead forth Thy rescued bride, 
To ravishing Elysium ! 

IV. 

0, the day when that Hero in battle shall ride, 
At the sound of the trump and the dash of the tide! 
Then the flash of His sword shall extinguish the 

light, 
By its greater refulgence then wielded in might. 
Then the end of the conflicts of ages shall come, 
And the roll of its fires shall benothing their sum. 
For the sun and the moon, and the stars in the sky, 
From the hoofs of His courser like pebbles shall fly. 
Up to the bridle bit, 

Wades the white horse ; 
Downward the sabers flit, 
All in blood course. 
Now wreathed in flames 
And worlds of smoke, 
Creation broke 
Its spheres and frames ! 



BOOK XIV. 117 

Suff' rers in beds of pain, 
Martyrs in flames of fire, 
Toilers that worked for hire, 
Slaves as they tugged their chain, 
Kings that once ruled the world, 
Paupers that starve for food, 
Wise and the rich and good, 
All who the truth unfurl'd, 
Go up on wings of flame, 
Ascend in Jesus' name. 
They fought the good fight, 
And now they shall ride, 
On horses all white, 
With Jesus their guide. 
See riding there, 
Elect and fair, 

Those who never knew, 
They were of the few, 
Or that an election was made ; 
Whom sophists had wracked with their trade ; 
That it was not enough, 
To believe in the rough, 
We'd have to believe in the fine, 
And hang on the threads of their twine, 
Or else doubt and despair, 
Be the dish of our fare ; 
Unless we were certain and sure of one thing, 
That we were elected by heaven's high King, 
Erst from eternity, 
Without Christ', 
Unto Christ, 
By God's great sov'reignty. 



118 BOOK XIV. 



V. 



He was once chased like the fawn, 
Once into Egypt had flown, 
Was betrayed with a kiss, 
'Twas the serpent's foul hiss, 
That had coiled in its meshes the Lamb that was 

slain ; 
Who was scourged for the truth, 
And was lashed for His youth, 
Till His back with the welts and His blood was all 

stain. 
With His burden way-worn, 
And His body all torn, 
He was smitten and mocked till His face was all 

slashed ; 
And they spat on the fair, 
Then they raised Him in air, 
With the crown of His thorns a huge spectacle 

gashed ; 
Pierced then His side ! 
He once walked the way weary, all faint and foot-sore, 

Now let Him ride ! 
Let the white horse of victory on the green shore, 
Bearing Him, stride ! 

Sheathe your swords, 
The battle 's won. 
Wreathe His words 
In gold : well done! 
On the green shore, 

Uncleft of the grave, 
Triumph e'er more, 

Plumed troops of the brave! 



BOOK XIV. 119 

VI. 

Let the deep-mouthed Euroelydon sing, 
Let him charm up all music to praise, 
Let him swell ev'ry pipe, 
Let him tune ev'ry string, 
While the sweetest Musician obeys, 
The great Master of music's first type. 
His hands strike the keys, 
And thrum the strings, 
With heaven's jubilees, 
All nature rings. 
"Rustle, rustle, rustle," 
Sound the strings, 
Like His wings; 
"Bustle, bustle, bustle," 
With hasty movements now He glides, 
And swan-like thus His song subsides : 
" My bounty here hath strewn, 
In rich profusion round, 
O'er this great realm profound, 
The wealth of songs in tune ; 
With more than regal splendor, 
We thus have passed attender, 
Through the poets' world, 
And their dreams unfurl'd. 
We have snatched their pretty beauties, 
From our dreams amid our duties. 
Clear through this conflict I have led thee, 
And with my Spirit I have fed thee, 
In the waters of sorrow with clarified eyes, 
In the fiercest of fires I have chastened thy sighs, 
And have cast the bright heavens with hope overhead, 
Where His Love and His Wisdom in Triumph suc- 
ceed." 



120 BOOK XIV. 



VII. 



I flung my harp upon my shoulders quick, 
And hurried then its tuneful chords to pick. 
The Master of all Muses, 

Touched me with His hand ; 
And so this pow'r diffuses, 

Through me with His wand ; 
To emulate the seraphim, 
And vie with rustling cherubim, 
In strength of passion and the pitch of thought, 
Until the crown was won, the battle fought. 
Hark ! the march of Majesty ! 
Hark ! the tramp of cavalry ! 
They come ! They come ! They come ! 
O, welcome, welcome home ! 
Lift up your everlasting doors Jerusalem ! 

Be lifted up, and let the King of glory in ! 
Lift up your heads ye gates, and blaze your ev'ry gem! 
Receive the Strong in battle ! Triumph, empyre'n ! 
See cavalcade on cavalcade, 

With plumes and horses white; 
Hosannas' bursting cannonade, 
Peals forth the Hero's might. 
Ascend His holy hill, 

Stand in His holy place, 
All ye whose heart and will, 

Delight to seek His face. 
Now heroes' arms resounding, 
On horses shod with flight, 
The hills of bliss are bounding, 
And rivers of delight. 
Good Tidings go, and sweep the chords of true 
Predestination with those songs anew, 
Adown the lengthening gall'ries in a spell 

Of transports through the ages ; 
In melodies of music thund'ring swell, 
And shake their ratt'ling stages. 



(DEO SOLI GLORIA ! 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



II ! II li II; 1 1 II 1 1 I III II 

015 762 302 3/ 




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